Watering the Plant of Friendship

How many times have you saw something that reminded you of a person you haven’t talked to in awhile. That event typically sparks a thought. Hmm, I wonder whatever happened to so and so. Then it dawns on you, oh yea they tried to call me a few times but I never called them back. They reached out by email and you greeted them with the overly used excuse that you’ve been busy. Or how about the time you had a really good friend fall off of the face of the earth with barely any explanation. Sometimes we really are busy especially in the adult segment of our lives. Many of us are getting married, buying homes, having children and getting settled into our careers. So, it’s not uncommon to fall out of contact here and there with the people we love. What I’m talking about today is the gradual erosion of friendship. This type of neglect in most cases is not intentional and we are all guilty of it. I’ve been guilty of it myself. The sad case of Friendship erosion can happen to the best of us if we are not consciously aware. 

Friendship is something a lot of people take for granted unless of course they need a shoulder to lean on or a favor. We all know that person we never hear from unless there is a crisis or if they want you to listen to a new business opportunity. The latter is one of my favorites. I’m sure you hear the sarcasm oozing from me as you read that last sentence. In a world that worships social media I can certainly see why face to face conversation is becoming less and less prevalent. Friendship is like a plant. It needs to be watered for it grow. It’s easy to feel salty and negative when we think of some of the people we have not heard from in along time. Sometimes it’s not other people who disappeared. It may have actually been ourselves who unintentionally disconnected the cord of friendship. The good news is we have an opportunity to plug back in. 

Some may argue there are seasons for everything in life. There however is never a season where it is right to keep people around for selfish intentions. It is never ok to string people along because of what you can get out of them. That is the plight of one sided relationships. Using someone is not friendship and those kind of relationships are toxic. Today, I encourage you to pick up the phone and call a friend you haven’t talked too in awhile. Schedule a lunch date this weekend with someone you love that you haven’t seen in a few months and in some cases maybe even years. Call that friend back who has been calling to check on you for the past few weeks. Take a few moments out of your day to sow your seed of friendship. Friendship is valuable. It is necessary and worthy of the effort. Some people will sincerely not be interested in the effort you put forth to maintain the relationship and thats ok. Walk forward with your head held high because people often distance themselves for reasons that may have nothing to with you personally. If you have a desire for better relationships, God will give you just that. When you show yourself faithful, reliable and friendly you will find that wonderful people will appear in your life. Appreciate the people you have in your life today. You don’t have to talk to someone everyday to have a meaningful friendship however we must make sure we are constantly watering it. Don’t let another day go by where you take genuine friendship for granted. No person is an island and tomorrow is not promised. There is nothing like turning the cell phone off and having a hot meal amongst good people. Let’s all strive to have more of that in our lives this coming year. Lets all commit to being better friends.