As I was thinking about seasons in our lives and how they change from time to time, I realized that is also about friendships. Not that we stop being friends, just that the closeness or time spent with them can change as a season changes.
As each of us moves into new places and relationships, our interests and focuses change. This is normal and a good thing. One of the consequences of these changes is a moving away from older relationships. Often we struggle trying to hold onto the closeness we had with those we’ve been with in the past but this creates an unhealthy tension, almost like trying to move in two directions at once. Sometimes, some of the folks move with us into the new relationships and interests. Many do not. Letting go of those is difficult but oh so necessary. Otherwise they become anchors that hold us back.
This being said, there are some friendships that transcend changes in our seasons. These are so precious and quite rare.
If we find ourselves stuck and struggling to move into a new season, we need a heart check to see if there are some relationships that need to be let go of, at least the time and closeness that we’ve had before. It will not only be a huge help for us but also for them, allowing them to move into their new season that is different from ours.