Throughout my young life, I’ve had MANY friendships. I’ve had good ones, bad ones, crazy ones, and random ones. I’ve also had some very short friendships and others that are still going strong after 4, 8, and 15+ years.
I am very much an extrovert. I can have an awesome conversation with a random person almost anywhere. I’ve gained friends just by saying “hello” to a random person on campus. But, the point of this post is not to boast about how many friends I have or how easy it is for me to make friends. Instead, I just want to reflect on the friendships that have lasted throughout the years and look at how they were maintained.
My husband always says that I have a ton of friends. I do have a lot of Facebook friends but that’s only because I befriended a bunch of randos when I started on Facebook as a teen (I delete people like everyday lol). Whenever my husband says this I am immediately reminded of my true friends. My true friends aren’t just the ones who have been around a while, but they are the ones who care and who show it.
I’ve been thinking about the people in my life lately and evaluating who is a true friend and who is just an acquaintance. The older I get, the more I see my real peeps. That being said, I want to make an effort to maintain those friendships. This includes making time to see them, talk to them, encourage them, pray for them, and support them. It’s easy to call someone a friend, but being a friend isn’t that easy. It takes work and I am willing to do what I can to maintain relationships that I feel like God ordained.
In recent years, I’ve gained unexpected friendships that bring me so much joy. I felt so connected to these people early on. All of my friends are so loving and supportive. The new ones and the OGs. They’re funny, encouraging, unique, and special. I’ve learned to really admire and appreciate my friends and their qualities and quirks that make them so amazing. I’ve learned to embrace the differences between some of my friends and me and that makes our friendship stronger.
This post seems very random but I’d been thinking on it for a while because of a friendship that bloomed out of nowhere and because of my lasting friendships I’ve been able to enjoy. Also, I’m just kind of forced to think on these things as I move to different phases in life.
Anyway, I want to encourage you all to evaluate your friendships and challenge yourself and ask “Have I been a good friend?” Making new friends is fine, but nurture the awesome people you already have in your life.
Pray for me as I pray for my friends.
-Thanks for reading! 🙂
B Jor You 