I ran across an expression a while back that went something like this: "Friends come into your life for a reason, for a season or for a lifetime." I have had all 3 in some measure although the last category has been rare. 15-20 years seems to be the longest I can stay in touch with someone who isn't family. It can be even harder in today's society where we are so much more mobile than our parents were.
Friends for a season can sometimes become friends for a lifetime. One way to recognize the difference is to change seasons in your life and watch what happens (yes I know - we can't just flip a switch and change seasons. In fact most of the time that is completely out of our control anyway). For me, a season can last for years - as can the friendships that are formed based on that season. Often the reason for the friendship can be that you are sharing a similar season with that person. It is because of this last piece that seasonal friends sometimes morph into lifetime friends. Once you spend a season of intimacy with a person, it is easier to slip into a place where they remain your friend after the season passes
The friends for a reason can often be some of the closest. God brings people into your life that you need. The fact that they are there because God knows you need them almost always ensures that they are, at least for a time, intimately entwined with your life. Sometimes these friends migrate up the chain.
Regardless of what type of friends you have, the Word reminds us that it is a "really good thing" to have friends in our lives. God has created us as relational beings and friendship is a critical piece of that. Time and again we are warned of the dangers of walking without friends (woe to him that falls alone) and the benefits of having friends (a threefold chord is not easily broken). Making and keeping friends takes time and effort and the rewards far outweigh the investment. Take a moment today and praise God for your friends, ask God to send you new ones and invest your heart into the friends you have.
blessings on your day.
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