Friendship: Post 5

"Adult friendships are hard.  Be friends who are patient, who are willing to pick up where you left off, and forgive one another when you are imperfect."

-Lisa Leonard

Being an adult is hard.  I remember when I was a pre-teen/teenager, I couldn't wait to grow up.  Now I am experiencing this with my own children-I have an almost-10-year-old and almost-13-year-old that can't wait to grow up.  I find myself channeling my own mother when I tell them "don't be in such a hurry to grow up!".

I find that things that came easily to me when I was a child, are much harder as an adult.  Although-I have never been very good at making friends, perhaps because I didn't really know how to be a good friend until recently (and I am still learning, in all honesty!).  Running, playing, drawing, coloring, learning, bending down....all of these (and many more) were definitely easier as a child.

God calls us to love one another, just as He loves us.  This is so important to adult friendships.  We need love.  We desperately need patience.  We need kindness.  We need friends.

Forgiveness is another cornerstone of any godly relationship.  We are sinful and imperfect creatures striving to emulate a perfect God, but failing miserably.  Thankfully, God's grace has covered our multitude of sins.  Sadly, we are quick to forget how much sin that grace has covered when we are faced with imperfection in a friend or family member.  We so readily overlook all of the wonderful things about that person and focus on the perceived imperfection.

It is easy to be quick to anger and quick to judge our friends, but God calls us to forgive as we have been forgiven by Him.  This is much easier said than done, but is such a valuable trait to master-it is worth working hard at in all of our relationships.

Blessings

Meri