I met three of my best friends during my freshman year at Ohio University.  Together we’ve been through it all: the good, the bad and the ugly. LOL.  No matter what challenges we've faced throughout our friendship, we’ve always stayed committed to working on any problems and getting past them.  We are all busy in our careers and our daily routines.  Nonetheless, we all find time to nurture our relationship even if it means a simple text or facebook shout out.   

“Friendship is like a flower… And like a garden, It blooms much more fair, When carefully tended, By those who care...”
— Regina

I’ve had several friends come and go over the years. In many cases, the relationship seemed to fizzle because there was no effort on either end to nurture our friendship.  It doesn't take a lot of effort to manage a friendship whenyou see each other everyday in class or you work together.  However, when distance or time creates spaces and the demands of your career and family create new priorities, it takes a lot more effort to water your relationships.  It doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a genuine friendship it just means that one, or both, persons given where you are in your life at this time.

I can’t think of any relationship that is protected from change because people change.  The people we are today will hardly be the same person five years from now.  The point is, as people change the nature of our relationships change as well.

That’s why its up to us to nurture those relationships that are important to us.  Proverbs 27:10 encourages us, “do not forsake your friend.”  Friendships are necessary for our emotional and mental health.  True friends can provide a listening ear when you feel there’s no one to turn to.  I often rely on my friends to help me talk out decisions or sort through my emotions.  We are relational and, therefore, we need trusting people in our lives that we can depend on. 

Don’t let the hustle and bustle of life keep you from maintaining your garden of friends.  After your work is done, it's your true friends that will be there to help you enjoy the fruit of all your labor.

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