Over the last several years of my life I have learned some HARD lessons. I have seen friendships bloom and friendships die. There were people I had the chance to do life with, grow close to, and wish good luck on their journey. When friendships are great, life seems great, and when friendships come to an end it becomes personal.
The circle feels broken.
But what we don’t often realize in the moment is that it is not an end, the circle continues on.
Our life is full of amazing experiences! Some good and some bad. As we journey through life; school, friends, parenting, marriage, careers, moving, and adjusting to our circumstances, our friends play a critical role. A role that changes as our lives change.
Just because a friendship changes or fades out doesn’t mean that their role in your life wasn’t important, it doesn’t mean the experiences you had weren’t life changing, and it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t real. But as your seasons change so will some of your friendships and sometimes those seasons come back around. Instead of mourning the loss of a friend moving away, seek the value in what the friendship brought. When life seems to go in opposite directions and your hangout sessions seem few and far between, don’t try to force it, but make an effort to connect every once in a while to show you still care. And don’t take it personal if someones life changes while yours still stays the same. From getting married, to having kids, to finding jobs, to discovering ones own destiny, life changes. In those seasons of change friendships can change. Find thankfulness in the growth and beauty that happened in those friendships and find peace in your heart that it is all a part of the circle of friendship.
A lesson that I learned from a dear friend of mine whose friendship had grown intensely, quieted down, and recently has come back to full life. When I was in the midst of the downward direction, I thought it was personal and my heart grieved what felt like a loss. I see now that it was just a part of life and I am thankful we are able to do life together again. Without change and growth the only result would be death. So welcome the change and look for the growth that happens as friends help to shape and speak into your life.