Seasonal Friendships

Picking up where we left off last time, I would like to explore seasonal friendships.

For everyone, seasons in our lives come and go sometimes without us even noticing  what has happened. I remember leaving a job of several years and one day wondering what ever happened to my friendship with one of the girls. 

Then it hit me. I left the office, and that was the only thing we had in common. Huh. Imagine that. Who knew that I would feel so close to someone one day, then feel very far apart from her the next?

In most of my seasonal friendships, I am happy to run into those people from time to time. Catching up on grandbabies and life is normally a good time. There are some seasonal Friendships I have been perfectly happy to walk ( or run) away from.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-15, it is explained there is a time for everything. Everything. I am often reminded of this everytime I say to someone, "God has a plan". I believe this because I am told so in this passage. I know how frustrating it is to not always understand his plan, but I do always know there is one, and sometimes I just have to go along with it, trusting. 

In the matter of seasonal friendship, I know things do not always turn out how we expect them to. All of those seasonal friendships from jr high and high school were preparing us for adulthood, and future relationships. Those experiences all come with the understanding that in your adult life you will have to deal with all sorts of people. Sometimes those friendships were great, sometimes they were losses that devastated us for a period of time. 

From the time we graduated high school, we have gotten married, educated, employed,became parents and on and on. In all of those experiences we have encountered people we have made connections with. Some of them are long term, some are for short seasons. Embracing the different friendships is the important thing. What canI learn from this relationship ? What can I do to improve the next one?

Lets get our journal out and write a few things down:

**List 3 of  the most impactful seasonal friendships you have been involved in...

*Name the friend

**How did you meet each of them?

***How/when did the relationship end?

(side note; sometimes they don't "end", they just "fizzle")

Realizing that not all friendships end on a positive note, I will encourage you to choose one of them that maybe you need to make amends with. An apology or forgiveness can go a long way in mending our hearts and minds towards friends in the future. Sometimes we forget how powerful a Christ-like attitude can be, and this is a key factor in motivating us for better resolution.

Now lets look at three of our lifetime friends....

**Name the friend

***How did you meet hem?

***What do you think is the key to your friendship?

Look carefully at your list of friends- are the ones closest to you Christian women you can confide in?

Are your conversations deep and meaningful, supportive, loving and encouraging?

Does your friendship reflect a gushy Hallmark Card?!

I am not saying dump the ones who aren't, because they are important people in your life, Christian or not. Maybe you are the influencer in this relationship. Maybe you are what she needs.

The best way to keep these friendships rolling is to pray together, love one another

and be committed to growing in Christ together-regardless of your haircut or handbag.