January Snow and Friendship

I love the first heavy, fresh fallen snow. It is so clean and beautiful. I try not to mess it up too bad, for as long as I can. I walk the dogs in the same path each time we go out. I walk in my footprints to go to the barn. I limit my trips off the patio, because I like the way the snow looks in its natural state. 

Sigh

I can’t protect the landscape forever. Just as I cannot protect myself on my own, forever. 

Friendships are like snowfalls. At first they are beautiful, manageable and clean. There are no issues in a brand new friendship. Then things start to happen. Someone leaves unecessary footprints on someone else. Someone spills some truth, then feelings get hurt. Lunch plans get cancelled or forgotten. Questions start to swirl in your mind like the snow between buildings. Then you wake up one morning feeling cold and forgotten, because your friends got too busy for you. 

Maybe you are a high maintenance girl, needing a friend that can shovel through with you like on the snowy path to the barn. Maybe what you need is for someone to melt some of your exterior away like salt on the path. Maybe you need less opinion and advice, and more coffee and listening ears. Maybe you need the same lesson I need- Jesus is my one and only true friend. “Lean on me”, He says. “Come to me”, He says. “Depend on me”‘ He says.

Whatever kind of friend you need, first you need to determine what kind of friend you can be. Take it upon yourself to analyze your friendships in a Jesus perspective. Not everything we are given is given for a lifetime. There are seasons for each relationship we encounter. There are also many types of friendship that cover the many phases of our lives. God provides everything we need to function in this dysfunctional world. The question is do we understand that it is ok to have all of these seasons? And do we know what to do with them?

 I think God has provided me with a season of lonliness right now.   For me, lonliness is a harsh reminder that I should not depend on any human for fulfillment- only my Savior can provide that. But I need that reminder, I need to return to listening to Him, whispering in my ear that I am His. I need that reminder everyday that I am worthy of His love, therefore, nothing else matters. I need that boost in my confidence that Jesus is mine regardless of what anyone else does. He is my confidant, my deliverer. He is my refuge and my friend. He allows me to sit for hours, prayng and meditating, and He never disappoints. 

People can disappoint. Jesus never does.

When reflecting on our friendships, let us use our Jesus perspective to find some resolve in our friendships that we are struggling with. Let us understand that our friends may not be forever. Let us understand that our husbands are our friends too.

Lets discover this together.