Friendship at it's finest

Happy thing of the day~ Pumpkins, boots, and cozy sweaters.-courtesy of FALL!

I have had some truly incredible friendships in my life.  Not a ton of them, but enough to be able to say I am incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends.  Some I have known for many years, some only a short while, but There are some friendships that just cannot be shaken.

A friendship, I have learned, will always have its ups and downs.  I don't know of one friend I haven't had a fight or argument with.  Some are just little tiffs, but others were whoppers.  The true defining moment in a friendship is how it bounces back from these whopper times.  Some of those times, however, seem to be deeper than others.  Some can cause real heart ache, sometimes even more so than a break-up with a significant other.  Friendships, truly great ones, go so much deeper into your soul, that when these moments strike, it really is a boulder you have to climb.

Sometimes, in that moment, that rock is just to big to climb.  There are defining moments in friendships. Turning points that kick us in the stomach and leave us gasping for air.  These moments, for a lack of a better word, simply suck!  There is nothing worse than ending a conversation, and having a moment where you realize, that friendship might actually be over.  You look on the wall to pictures of this incredible person, see gifts sitting on shelves or hanging on walls, debating if they should come down or not.  Almost like in a break-up when you have a clean up day, and trash all of those painful reminders.  Is saying goodbye to a friendship as simple as that? Or, do we relish in the moments that were amazing, and move on?

I have had to say "goodbye" to many friendships, and some remarkably deep ones at that.  Whether is was just simply due to distance and lack of time to communicate, or because of a "boulder moment", I have lost some precious people.  The losses were devastating, life changing, but, not life ending.

The nice thing is, I learned that I have a friend I can always lean on, one I can't actually see.  Every time I hear "What a Friend We Have In Jesus", I remember, He IS my friend.  He wants to hear the secrets of my heart, he wants to know when life just sucks, he wants to KNOW everything, just like a "BFF" would.  So when there is that turning point in a friendship, I know I just have to turn to Him, and I am fine!

One thing I did have to learn about friendship comes straight out of the Bible...and it was a hard one to hear...Proverbs 17:17-A friend loves at all times.

Let's just repeat that, but with emphasis this time...A friend loves at ALL times.  Whether it is a happy, sad, difficult, easy, normal, weird, fun, depressing, ANYTHING, a friend loves at ALL times.  So a true friendship will stand the test of time, it can climb this biggest rock, it can calm the seven seas! Love conquers all, and if a friend loves at all times, really friendship should conquer all just the same!

I have some amazing friends.  Some that send me screen shots like this:

Some friends know exactly what to say and when to say them, or know exactly what pin to send from pinterest!  Some think they know when its time to give up.  Some aren't as amazing as you think.

So what do you do when a long time friendship, a level 100 friendship, seems like it can't stand the tests of everyday life? What if a friend gives you an ultimatum, or tells you they don't agree with the major life decisions you are making? What happens if your friend doesn't approve of another friend or a relationship choice?

The answer? That really sucks, but life goes on!

Is it worth it to give up that decision, that person, that love, for your friend? I guess that would depend on a friend, but again, a true friend will love you always and regardless.  A true friendship is UNCONDITIONAL.  I learned that from a friend who changed the rules.  Our friendship was unconditional, until it wasn't.  They changed the game on me, and I had to live with the fact that my unconditionally loving friend, now had a condition I just couldn't meet... I love my study Bible, it's amazing at telling me exactly what I need to know.  Proverbs (must be the book of the day) 27:10 in the "study" section of my Bible says "Do not fail a friend in need".  If your friend is failing you on any level, maybe that friend should go into the "deleted" section of your life.  Decisions like that can be extremely difficult, but also, extremely necessary...like my lovely friend sent me with the screen shot...sometimes being happy means saying no...or maybe saying "goodbye".

Your happiness is so much more important than pleasing ANYONE (maybe other than God...).  Don't worry, be happy! Find the friends that really have no conditions...they are the ones you want in your "forever" section, the section that also has the name Jesus in it!  Because no one loves us more unconditionally than Him.