the ups and downs of friendship

well.... life has given me some direction. :-)

some thoughts i've had recently...

true friendships are there with you through the thick and the thin. they are there during the times when schedules line up and you hang out all the time, and the times when it takes weeks to see the other person and all you can do is send a text now and then to let them know you're still thinking of them. a true friend sticks with you not just when you're constantly there for them, but also when they need to be there for you. a one sided friendship will never last. it only wears out the person doing all the work.

it's sad when someone you've dedicated a lot of time and energy to, someone you've helped countless times and were there for them during many difficult times, someone you had a lot of memories with and considered to be a friend, stops talking to you and basically tells you they don't want to be friends unless you can dedicate more time to them.

in my sin and selfishness, i can feel like i deserve more than that because i know i've put in a lot of work, and had a lot of patience towards someone who i didn't always feel deserved it, i feel like i've laid aside other friendships to pursue someone because i knew they needed a friend, i feel like i've encouraged and discipled and counseled someone when i was in a weak place and needing some encouragement myself, and for what? to have someone try to make me feel guilty whenever i couldn't hang out, or to get annoyed with me when i couldn't talk, and to give up on me entirely when my schedule got too busy to hang out multiple times a week.

after considering all of these things, i have 2 choices, to get mad and feel like it was all a waste of time, or to think of how jesus would respond. jesus loved the people who rejected him. he commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. strong words. but how much more would he want us to love and pray for those who ignore us, or that friend who takes up all your time, or the friend who stops speaking to you? probably a lot more. that's something i need to work on.