When Friendships End

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Two of America's founding fathers risked their

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lives together to build a nation. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

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were close friends and fellow revolutionaries who helped birth

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the United States. They shared dreams and trusted each other

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through some of the most dangerous years in American

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history. Then, politics tore them apart. After the bitter

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1800 presidential election, they stopped speaking entirely. For

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over a decade, two men who had once risked their lives together

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as allies became strangers. The silence was painful for both of

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them. How could a friendship, forged in revolution and mutual

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respect, become so fractured for 12 years over political

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disagreement?

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and

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today we're talking about friendships. Wouldn't it be

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great if all friendships lasted forever? But, unfortunately,

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some drift apart and some fall apart. The hard truth is that

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not every friendship is meant to last forever. Even if we

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understand that, it can still be painful. People move, priorities

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shift, betrayal happens, or you simply grow apart. The loss of a

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close friendship can feel like a death that nobody else

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acknowledges. But God is sovereign even over the seasons

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of our relationships. He brings people in and out of our lives

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with purpose, and He will be the friend who never leaves.

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Proverbs 17, 17 says,

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That verse paints a picture of what friendship is meant to be,

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loyal and always there for one another, in good times as well

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as bad. And when you've had that kind of friendship, losing it

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feels like a part of you has been cut away. We talk about

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grief when someone dies. We talk about grief when a marriage ends.

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But we rarely talk about the grief of losing a close friend.

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experiences we go through. Maybe a friend you trusted betrayed

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you, and the relationship shattered overnight. Or maybe a

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friendship slowly faded as life pulled you in different

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directions. New jobs in different cities, or different

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priorities. It could be a disagreement that drove a wedge

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between you, and someone you once shared everything with.

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Maybe you don't even know what happened. They just stopped

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calling and stopped texting. And one day, you realized the

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friendship was gone. Whatever the cause, it hurts. You miss

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the inside jokes and the long conversations. You knew each

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other so well that you didn't have to explain yourself. And

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what makes it harder is that other people don't recognize it

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as a real loss. Nobody sends a car. Nobody brings a casserole.

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You're just expected to move on. But grief is grief. And God sees

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it. Here's what I want you to understand about friendship and

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seasons. Not every friendship will necessarily be permanent.

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Please understand, that doesn't mean it Some people are in your

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life for a short time. They were exactly who you needed in that

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season. And you may have been exactly who they needed. And

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when the season changes, the friendship may change too.

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That's not always a tragedy. Sometimes it's simply life. But

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other friendships end because of sin or conflict. And those

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endings are more painful. They come with regret and sometimes

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anger. In those cases, the grief is complicated because it's

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mixed with hurt. In either case, God is sovereign over the

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relationships in your life. He brings people in with a And when

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they move on, he's still in control. That doesn't mean

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you're not alone in the loss. And here's the deepest comfort.

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There is a friend who will never leave. Proverbs 18.24 says,

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There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Jesus

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calls his followers friends in John 15.15. He is the one

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relationship that will never drift or betray. When every

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other friendship is subject to change, he stays constant. In

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1812, mutual friends encouraged Adams and Jefferson to reconnect.

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Adams swallowed his pride and wrote first. Jefferson responded.

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What followed was one of the most remarkable letter exchanges

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in history. There was 150 letters exploring faith,

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philosophy, aging, and things like regret. The friendship was

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restored and they remained friends until they both died on

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the same day, July 4th, 1826. Not every broken friendship gets

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that ending, but their story reminds us that reconciliation

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is possible when someone is willing to reach out first. Some

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friendships are just for a season. I know I've had close

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friendships that drifted apart simply because of geographical

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distance and the business of life. Some friendships end

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painfully. But God is sovereign even over the relationships that

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shift, and he himself will always be the friend who never

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leaves. When friendships change, you have permission to grieve,

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but don't let go of the one whose faithfulness never fades.

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Maybe there's a friendship you've been grieving quietly.

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Maybe there's one you wish you could restore. So, here's

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today's challenge. Think about one friendship that's ended or

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maybe just shifted or changed, but still important to you. If

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reconciliation might be possible, consider being the one to reach

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out first.

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If the friendship has ended for good, give yourself permission

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to grieve it. Don't pretend it doesn't hurt. Bring that grief

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to God and pray something like, Lord, I miss this person. I'm

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sad about what we lost. Help me to trust your sovereignty over

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the seasons of my relationships. And thank you for being the

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friend who never leaves. Lord, friendships matter to us because

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you designed us for connection. When friendships end or change,

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the grief is real, even when no one else sees it. Help us to

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trust you with the relationships that have shifted. And give us

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the courage to reach out where reconciliation is possible and

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the grace to release where it's not. And remind us that you're

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the friend who sticks closer than a brother, the one

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relationship that never fades. In Jesus' name, amen. If this

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episode encouraged you, would you share it with someone who

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might be quietly grieving a lost friendship? Just send them the

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link from the show notes. They may need this reminder that

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they're not alone. Thanks for joining me today on Daily

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Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, not every friendship

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lasts forever, but God is sovereign over every season, and

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he himself is going to always be the friend who never leaves.

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Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live

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grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great

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day.