Healthy Friendship

2020 taught me A LOT about friendship.

It’s one thing in life I always struggled with. I can make friends pretty easily on the surface level, but it’s building healthy, deep-rooted, friendships that always seemed to be a struggle. Unfortunately, it's common to walk away from a relationship when it enters into bad times, rather than staying and working on it. Rather than choosing to see our own flaws and deciding to grow and mature in order to keep that relationship thriving.

When you’re a broken person entering into relationship with other broken people, it’s going to be messy.

And that can’t be avoided because we’re all broken. BUT, there’s a difference when you come into relationship with broken people that are doing what they can to become whole and healthy, and are helping you get there as well. There's an understanding that we're going to all have our dark moments, but we're going to love each other through it and speak honestly to help us grow from it as well.

As I learn more about myself, God, and others I’m finding out how to be intentional in relationships. You have to practice selflessness, welcome disagreement and constructive criticism, and learn to trust and be secure with other people.⁠

People are people and we have to have ridiculous amounts of grace (because we ourselves also need ridiculous amounts of grace) and some people won’t be healthy friends. But, don't let the unhealthy people who have hurt you, walked away, and tainted your view of friendship, keep you from trying again. Because if you do, you'll miss out on the friendships that are waiting for you.

Someday you’ll find your people. You’ll find (crazy) people who put up with your crap and tell you to cut it out. You’ll find people who say, “I was praying for you and I feel like God said this…” You’ll find people you can laugh with, cry with, vacation with, and imagine raising your kids with. And those people make all the friendship heart breaks worth it.

If I could tell lonely 11-year-old Brooklynn something it would be, “Just wait, God is preparing you and God is preparing them. You’re not friendless.”