The Difficulties of Maintaining Relationships

There have been many things going on recently (discussions, etc) that have put this topic on my mind. Mike and I were talking on our drive back home from seeing my family at Christmas time about the difficulty in retaining friendships and seeking out new friendships. So I will include you in the discussion, plus some additional thoughts (possibly rants) of my own.

Don't you remember when it was easy to hang out with people: no real job, not a lot of money and the need for sleep was much smaller, lol. As I have moved away from my college town I have seen the difficulty in maintaining relationships. Well, to be honest, I actually began to struggle with this before I graduated, due to the fact that Mike and I were married and not living in Shawnee. Some single friends don't like to hang around married people (perhaps that isn't you, but I have definitely seen it). When hanging out with couples all four people have to get along (sounds easy to do, but its surprising how difficult it can be) and I consider myself one to get along with just about anybody. Then there is the time/schedule issue, everyone is always so busy.

So here is what it actually comes down to: working at the relationship, I have learned that it takes work to make our marriage work. In the same way, it takes work to make a friendship continue when it is not overly convenient. After all, isn't it easiest to only be friends with people we work with and go to church with? What about everyone else? So I want to be a better friend. I will attempt to stay connected and will pursue time with my friends. I pledge to be more flexible. I will pray over my friends and those friendships with the desire for God to bless those relationships I am able to have. Lastly, I will seek out relationships. It is so easy in our world to get stuck where we are and not invite over people we don't know, I will pray that God shows me someone who needs a friend and that I will follow his lead.