Friendship

I've realized friendship is a luxury some cannot afford. It takes time and regular effort. Those in full-time ministry are so focused on what their mission for the Lord is, their friends are usually their husbands and co-laborers. The last ten years has changed my perspective and need in this area greatly. It hasn't been without pain, but time has had a way of showing me that we all go through seasons.

There can be years where we are a friend to those who need it, giving more than is received. Then there are times we receive while others give to us. There are times we would prefer to be alone than continue doing the work, and there are times we do the work we can, but it really doesn't amount to much.

I remember being so insecure as a younger woman; I wore my number of close friends as a means of significance. It seemed to me that those around me would see my worth if there were many people I knew well and who knew me well.

But that is just a foolish endeavor that ends up taking too much time from the areas God has placed before us.This realization is one reason I would never want to be younger than I am again.

Friends come and go--jobs change, people move, people die, people change. If we are moving continually closer to God, the only way friendships can remain in the same way is if everyone is moving along at roughly the same pace. The intimacy in family relationships follows this same logic.

In evaluating our lives to see where we are with the Lord, it is one of the things we often find ourselves needing to cull. He provides the strength, and it allows us to teach our children to let no one and nothing stand between us and our Savoir.

Even when people love each other, this is how it often goes.