Friendships are tricky things. And the older I get the more I realize that I am overwhelmed by the thought of people actually thinking of me as a friend.
In Kindergarten our friends were the little kids that shared their cookies with us or played tag with us at the park. But because we were little, we tended to get offended easily, and if the "friend" was seen doing the same things to someone else, they would get an ear full. The funny thing about kids though is that they forgive and forget very quickly. We could be furious one minute and then running and laughing with each other the next.
When we got into middle school and Jr. high, our friends are the ones who are the people most like us. We aren't comfortable in our own skin so we surrounded ourselves with people who let us feel comfortable.
When entering high school, we started to "find ourselves" and since we were more comfortable being who we were, we could reach out to other people our age who weren't necessarily the same as us.
I don't think anyone really starts to understand what true friendship is, though, until late high school and college. Up until this point we have slowly been integrating ourselves into the world and everything evil that comes along with that. We may have had a few trials, but all of the sudden friends become very important.
Friends seem to draw together and lean on one another trusting each other more and more. But with these closer relationships comes a great risk. The risk of being hurt or abandoned later on down the road.
We can't expect to become good friends if we are always extremely careful to not do anything. We can't become close without exposing who we are. When we become good friends with other people, we risk being hurt and disappointed. Being careful reminds me of a children's story where two friends hurt each other. One friend uses the other one to get a china tea set. And then the hurt friend tricks her friend back to get revenge. In the end they go and try to fix everything. The hurt friend says that it is no fun to be friends when you have to be careful because that's not really being friends - that's being careful.
So is being friends worth the risk? Should we put ourselves into a place of exposure and openness where we could possibly experience hurt and disappointment? I would say yes. And when we pick friends who genuinely care about us, we can be assured that the hurt that happens is not intentional. And when hurt does happen, we can forgive and forget and move on.
Friends are worth the risk.
Ecclesiasties 4: 9-12 "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
