I never believed it possible to lose a friend. How could you lose a friend? I mean, we all make mistakes…so we ask for forgiveness and move on. Why would you want to give up a friend? It’s not like they cost you any more than they invest in you. Besides, it feels so much nicer (warm and fuzzy inside) to call someone your friend than not to.
And yet I think I lost a friend for the first time in my life. It didn’t feel good. It didn’t feel good at all. In fact, it felt worse than a break up. I felt so powerless…
I’ve always known that relationships are a two-way street; it’s a give-and-take. But I guess I just never imagined that a friend would be unwilling to give.
God is always giving, giving, giving. As humans, we’re always taking, taking, taking. And that’s how it should be! He is God after all and we are dependent upon Him. But something beautiful happens when we start giving back to Him. Our lives. Our time. Our thoughts. Our affections. Ourselves. It becomes a friendship, you see. A give-and-take on both sides.
How often do we break off the friendship though? It becomes too much for us to invest in the relationship so we default to the basic Provider-dependent relationship. And God’s heart breaks as He loses a friend.
But I’ve never broken friendship with God and not missed Him ultimately. I’d miss talking to Him about anything and everything. I’d miss laughing over inside jokes. I’d miss planning for activities we enjoy doing together and then executing them. I’d miss sharing random thoughts and hearing His. It’s not too long before I miss Him and I want to be His friend again.
Maybe it is that way with human friendships too. Maybe not. I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out. But in the meantime I’m thankful for God’s faithfulness as a friend!
sikhu, i was moved by your entry. it reminds me of when the throes/drudges of life cause me to forget the time of when i first fell in love with Jesus. in the same way i tend to overlook the significance and meaning of friendships i’ve had for a long time. thank you for reminding me that i should not take these relationships here or with God, for granted. =)
i miss you and i’m praying for you. =)
Thank you for this!
You do not know me. I just happened to stumble upon your page by accident. I know the pain of losing a friend. It is horrible. But here is something that might make you feel a little better. It was actually sent to me in an email many months ago. I hope it will help you to see there are reasons for friendships and reasons that sometimes they come to an end.
A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime
People come into your life for a reason, a season, or
a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you
will know what to do for each person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON . . . It is
usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have
come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you
with guidance and support, to aid you physically,
emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a
godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason
you need them to be.
Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an
inconvenient time, this person will say or do something
to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die.
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our
desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you
sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.
When people come into your life for a SEASON . . .
Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount
of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; things
you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional
foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the
person, and put what you have learned to use in all
other relationships and areas of your life. It is said
that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Author Unknown
As an old friend I liked it alot. Thanks for helping me remember what a friend God is to us.
thank you for sharing that poem Lara.
blogging seems to bring out the melancholy in me – I’m really not as miserable as I sound in this entry! 🙂
but yeah, friendship’s been on my mind quite a bit lately. What it is. What it isn’t. So much I have yet to learn about life!
I certainly understand that Sikhu. I think that we all have our emotional ups and downs. Blogging can be a good way to express what we are feeling and to open up to others by sharing our thoughts. It helps me a lot to see that others are going through some of the same things that I am. Life is for learning. And we all have so, so much to learn. LOL Blessings, Lara