I don't know about you, but when dear friends live far away it's hard to keep up sometimes. Have you ever had a friend move away and you could feel the emptiness before they even start packing? Has distance caused time to pass quickly and the next thing you know it's been MONTHS since you've spoken? I wonder if they think I don't care about them anymore? Maybe they don't care about me anymore.
Perhaps we're just busy and life gets away from our grip sometimes. Not everyone can be the kind of friend that talks to you every single day. Some friends you may not be in contact with for several weeks and as soon as she calls it's as if time has never passed. Could it be that the last time you spoke, the words were misunderstood? How can we keep living a life full of unanswered questions? How can a friendship reblossom again after so much time has passed?
You'll never know until you try to contact them again.
I met a girl when I was in the second grade. I grew up in public school with her all my life. We've had our fair share of ups and downs, but after all these years we are still friends! We live nine hours away from each other, but we connected through a social network site and still make late night phone calls to one another every now and then. Life gets busy and the next thing you know, her baby is six years old and can have a pretty good conversation over the phone. Wow I missed a few birthdays didn't I? (I'm really bad about that.)
I made another friend in the sixth grade and she moved away, never to be seen or heard from again. I have other friends that I haven't seen or heard from in several months. Were we ever really friends to begin with? Why doesn't she return my phone calls anymore? She didn't call me or even email me on my birthday. (Probably because I forgot hers first.)
There is something I have realized over the years and that is that we can't live life second guessing ourselves. Friendships come and go. Sometimes friendships can be so sweet and tight knit, and other times they seem to slip away from us. Instead of focusing on what you don't have right now, let's try to look on the positive.
Did you enjoy your times together? Did you have some really good laughs with one another? Did she encourage you when no one else would? Do you have any past notes or emails that really touched your heart? Think on these things.
Sometimes friendships are for a season in our life and for a divine purpose. Sometimes that purpose is fulfilled and it's time for someone else to have that friend. Maybe it's time for you to focus on being another person's friend for now. We all have different gifts and if we let Him, God will use our gifts to encourage one another for a season. It's a rare treasure to keep one friend for a lifetime. So for those friendships we enjoyed for a season, don't fret and grieve over the friendship moving on. She may have been an gift in your life for a time and now it's time for her to be an gift in someone else's life.
Maybe the parting wasn't good. Misunderstandings can really hurt. Words can kill. Were your last words unkind? Cover that friends heart with prayer and let our Lord help with that.
I've had many friends come and go, but thank you Lord for the sweet times you gave to those friendships. May the Lord use them all to help touch another person's heart as much as they touched mine. Even if you don't hear back from a friend, it's still a kind gesture to drop a line every now and then. Here are some tips to help rekindle a friendship that has been preoccupied.
1. Send an E-card. These are so simple to do.
2. Send a postcard.
3. Send a text message.
4. Find her on Twitter or Facebook and reconnect.
5. Take her some homemade cookies. Be prepared to leave a note if she's not home.
6. Pray for her.
7. Call your local inspirational radio station and dedicate a song to her.
8. Throw a blog party for her.
9. If you can afford it, send flowers.
10. Get her a coffee shop gift card.
What other ways have you reconnected with an old friend?
Sisterlisa is the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Growing in Grace Magazine and owner of AGMinistries, a devotion blog for women. She is married and homeschools her four children while remaining active in serving the Lord in her community.
