Seasons of Friendship

I've recently been reflecting on friendships over the last few years during my time as a mom and I've discovered just as there are seasons of motherhood, there are also seasons of friendship.  In the past few years, I've met more amazing women and moms than I could have hoped for.  I know it was all part of God's plan and His reason for moving us here.  I'm so grateful to have such great women in my life who share so many similarities and are 'real'.  When we find real, true people who can be themselves and don't have anything to prove, it's so comforting and really makes us want to invest our time and energy into deepening those relationships.  They become a priority.  As moms, so much of our time is taken up with our children that we don't have time for relationships with people that won't be 'real' with us.

I've recently found peace after going through a difficult season of friendship.  I struggled coming to terms with a friendship that was once very strong and a big part of my life but has faded.  It's difficult when you pour your heart and soul into a friendship and give everything you can to be there for a friend but then you stop getting that back in return when you need it most.  Going through this, I knew God had a reason and a plan, but in the midst of it, it was difficult to see.  I feel like I went through stages of loss.  I felt angry, sad, and betrayed in a sense.  So many thoughts went through my mind and how the relationship had been so important to me and now it wasn't there anymore.  I didn't want it to be about me and what I was or was not getting in return, but the hurt was so strong I had a hard time getting past it.  Could I have done more to reach out and try and pick up where we had left?  Yes, but something in me didn't have the desire to and when I realized this, I then knew it wasn't a priority anymore.  I knew I had to get past it but I didn't know how.  I thought about confronting the situation and sharing my honest feelings.  I was very close to doing so but after much prayer and advice, I was questioned as to what I had hoped would be the outcome of doing that.  After thinking about that and stepping back from all the negative feelings, I found peace in the fact that right now at this point in my life, I don't need that relationship that was once so important.  For me, I think the most difficult part of letting go was because it held so much of my past.  When a friendship is a big part of our lives, we have a hard time imagining our life without it and moving on.  But I have discovered it's truly possible.

I realized I couldn't live in the past anymore, but instead focus my efforts on friendships here in the present.  When I decided to do this, God showed me the people He strategically put in my life, here in the present, willing to deepen our friendship.  I love how God knows exactly what we need, who we need and when we need them in our lives.  I am now at peace with all of this because I see what His plan was all along.  He knew it was in my best interest to let go of a part of my past to open myself up to the wonderful friendships of the present.  This difficult season of friendship I went through has taught me so many things.  Who knows?  Maybe God has planned to bring this relationship back to my life when He feels it's time.  If not, that's okay.

I share this story in the event someone else is struggling or has struggled with letting go of a relationship.  If you can relate, I encourage you to pray about your situation and ask God to show you how to handle it and He will.  I'd love to pray for you as well.  It's hard to let go of the past for many different reasons.  It took me awhile to figure out that was part of my struggle.  I'm thankful I did because it made me open up to the present, be more aware, and grateful for the awesome people I have in my life right now.  We shouldn't waste time living in the past when there are so many gifts for us here in the present.  For we never know when our gain will be much greater than our loss!

God Bless :)