The Necessity of Being and Having a Friend

Having a good friend can make all the difference during the ups and downs of life. The good friend may be a spouse, neighbor, co-worker or any number of other people. It never ceases to amaze me how friendships form from the most unlikely circumstances.

Friends serve all sorts of purposes in our lives. They are there for us when we're sick, sad, celebrating, bored, or just need a babysitter for the night. The list of times that we call on friends is endless. If we are a good friend in return, the same should be said of us.

Many people have heard it said that friends are friends for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Friendships truly are blessings - all of them, even the ones that end. Without even the failed friendships, we would have missed opportunities to grow. Sometimes we love, sometimes we're loved, but we always grow through even the most challenging of friendships. So, what are reason, season, and lifetime friends all about?

A lifetime friend is the one most people long to have - at least I do. This person is the one you can call any time of the day or night and they don't hang up on you. :) You will literally spend your entire life knowing, loving, and staying connected with this person. You may know their family. They may spend holidays with your family. The ways you are connected seem endless.

Reason friends are those who come into your life for a specific reason. Normally, they will meet a certain need you have in your life. This may be someone you think of more as an acquaintance. You might be on a board or committee with this person or engaged in a common goal for a short period of time. They may be someone who is supporting you through a momentarily difficult time.

You may meet someone on the (Spark People) boards who is a reason friend. They are there for you to answer a difficult question you need help with. They give their time and their brain to your situation, offering compassion and guidance. You and they are not intended to be lifelong friends, but to serve a purpose for each other.

A season friend is someone who comes into your life for a longer period of time and in some way helps you to grow through a season of your life. This may be a spiritual mentor. It will be someone with whom you share, learn from, and grow. Some of life's sweetest or most philosophical moments can come from this type of friendship.

You may also meet a season friend through one of the spark teams. You will be joined together with this person, working toward a common goal. Each of you has a need for the other. One may provide and the other receives, or it may be an equal partnership of support. Either way, you are there for each other during a very difficult time of your life - changing your eating habits and growing healthy. This person may bear witness to some very painful moments as you come to understand the root of your weight struggles. You may be the shoulder your season friend needs to get them through a difficult spot. Together you may spend time laughing, crying, learning, growing, or even commiserating. You are truly present for that person and them for you.

In the end, both a reason and a season friendship will come to an end. Embrace them while they're there and when it's time, let them go without regret. They have served their purpose - and you yours.

Through Spark People, we encounter these types of friends every day. What an amazing opportunity to change lives, ours and others as well. We don't have to put pressure on ourselves or others to be more than we are supposed to be. Reach out, giving of yourself as you have to give. When you need to, seek others to receive from them the blessings they have to offer you. In the end, we're all better off for having known one another, even if it's only for one post's worth of time!