Not every friendship can be for a lifetime. Some friendships start off great and then die down. Other friendships last for a few months or a few years serving a very specific purpose and then ending when the purpose has been fulfilled.
Then, sometimes… on rare occasions, we find our soul mate in the form of a sister from another mister, a best friend whom we will grow old with and become a part of the family. This last kind of friend, she’s a friend for a lifetime. But what distinguishes a friend for a reason, a season, or a lifetime?
Friends for a Reason
“When someone is in your life for a REASON, It is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are!
They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered. And now it is time to move on.” - Poem excerpt, Unknown Author
This poem perfectly captures the friendships that come into our life for a reason. These friendships serve a purpose or meet a need. When that purpose is fulfilled, or that need met, the friendship dissipates into a distant memory. This isn’t a bad thing.
We don’t intentionally befriend people to take advantage and then walk away. These are the friends we meet during a short business trip, and they become a friend in a scary place.
We meet them in a gym class, and they motivate us to finish the workout. We meet them at a conference, and they become the one person you sit next to the entire time, so you aren’t alone.
Sometimes the friendship starts off as if you’ll be lifetime friends, but along the way it changes. That’s completely okay. We were created for community but we weren’t meant to be tied down to everyone forever.
Truthfully, my social media pages are filled with friends I had for a reason. Friends I met on work trips, and conferences. Friends who were amazing, but for one reason or another simply did not last. I can reflect on our relationships and believe that a purpose was served.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 shows us the importance of being with one another. Two are better than one in any relationship. So when we discover a friendship coming to an end, count the blessing the friendship provided regardless of how long it lasted.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV
Friendships for a Season
“Then people come into your life for a SEASON, Because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.” - Poem excerpt, Unknown Author
The next category is friendships for a season. These friendships last anywhere from a few months to a few years. Similar to friends for a reason, friendships for a season serve a purpose before ending.
Examples of friendships for a season can be friends we make with other moms of littles when we are in the thick of motherhood. These friends can sometimes feel like they will be lifetime friends, but when it comes down to it, the friendship doesn’t last.
Maybe the physical distance becomes too much, or maybe lives become too busy, so it makes it nearly impossible to keep investing time into the relationship. Without a falling out, these friendships just gently fade away.
When I lived in Illinois, I began attending a church that transformed my spiritual life. Through the church, I met many amazing women who filled me up, mentored me, and befriended me during a time when I was very much alone. One question from a friend got me to go to church and changed my life.
Related: How One Question Got Me To Go To Church
At the time, I lived two states away from my family and 735 miles away from my boyfriend. These ladies came over for dinner often, and we would laugh, cry, and pray about any and everything. I learned so much from these women and truly believe they helped shape me into the wife and mother I am today.