Friendships are extremely valuable in life and it is helpful to recognize the 3 types of friendships we have. If we understand the old saying “3 types of friendship: reason, season and life”, it explains why we make friends, how we keep them, but also why we lose them because of changes or conflicts.
On my journey through life, my friends have brought me great joy in good times and great comfort in difficult times. Regardless of which of the 3 types of friends I find, their presence makes my life better.
Whether you're struggling with friendships or just want to strengthen them, understanding the 3 types of friendship can help you become a better friend!
the purpose of friendship
Good friends increase our happiness, help us grow, and support us. I'm happiest when I'm surrounded by those I call friends. The purpose of friendship is to share love and life with others.
We were not created to live alone.
Throughout our lives, we meet many people with different goals and I often wonder if an acquaintance will transition into the friendship category. There are a variety of reasons why we experience different types of friendships, such as shared experiences, chemistry, and availability.
Once a special bond is formed and we start calling each other friends, it's hard to know how the friendship will develop and what kind of friends we'll become.
most of us make friendsthe hope that they will continue indefinitely.We don't know people and we start dividing them into various types of friendships.
All 3 types of friendship occur as natural rhythms of relationships and life.
When my children were young, I was part of a group for mothers of preschoolers and spent several years with a group of wonderful mothers and their children. This season and these friendships have given me and my children many special memories. I'm still friends with some of the moms I met in this group, but with others we lost touch as our kids grew up.
The 3 types of friendship explain why moving on and losing touch is inevitable and how we can adjust and adapt to this realitypeople we call friendsto whom our time and love are entrusted.
What are the 3 types of friendship?
After learning what the 3 types of friendship are, it helped me get my bearingsRelationshipsMy understanding of each type of friendship has expanded over time and through real-life application. The 3 types of friendship include friends for a reason, friends for a while, and friends for life.
friends for a reason
friends for a reasonThis includes many friends that we know and have a connection with. Many of our friends start out with that kind of friendship, then feed off of it and grow. These are the people we exercise or train with, our neighbors, a small group at church, or people we communicate with on social media.
I met a friend of mine at my first job out of college 30 years ago for a reason. We were both college graduates and excited about our jobs at a local TV station. When I was hired and assigned to a booth, the only entrance was through his office.
We were forced together, which wasn't the best way to start a friendship, and Laurie graciously allowed me to come to her desk several times a day for months. We slowly bonded and she eventually became a good and then a great friend.
We've been through many ups and downs (marriages and births) and downs (changes and losses) and she is what I now consider a lifelong friend.
The kind of friend that comes into our lives for a reason doesn't always become a friend for life. We often meet people for a reason and then move on; We do our homework and the friendship is over.
Sometimes we find friends for a reason, we form a bond, but there is no opportunity to deepen and expand the friendship.
The good news is that there will always be opportunities and reasons for doing so.Meet people; Some will be useful in nature, but others can become bigger connections if that's the case.it's time now.
Jesus started his ministry and friendship with his disciples for a specific reason, to spread his message of love and make them "fishers of men":
„And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon, called Peter, and Andrews, his brother, casting the net into the sea; because they were fishermen. Then he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed him."
Matthew 4:18-20 NIV
How exciting it is to be part of a group of friends with a greatMission!
I'm not sure, but the disciples probably expected to walk with Jesus for the rest of their lives; I think it would have been.
We go into most of our relationships hoping for that kind of friendship. so it can behard to getwhen we realize that some people are coming into our lives and it will only last a season.
These friends of Jesus became his dearest friends and eventually died in the continuation of the "reason" he called them.
friends for a season
friends for oneseasonThey are my least favorite type of friendship. Friends Forever would work better for me, but it doesn't always work that way. I look at season-long friendships as friendships that we bond with for a period of time before the relationship is lost or comes to an end.
I've made a lot of friends over time and I now realize that some friendships in life are there for a specific purpose.
Any change in values, priorities, circumstances, or conflict can make friends for a while. Changing circumstances, like those of my mothers and preschool friends, are understandable and easy to deal with. But friendships lost for more painful reasons might likeBetrayaljrejectionthey are harder to drop.
Jesus' disciples, who had gone and worked and drawn close to him, were shaken by the news that he was leaving them.
“While they were in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise from the dead.' And they were very sad."
Matthew 17:22-23 NIV
The loss of Jesus in the flesh of the disciples brought them deep sadness.
Were you very upset about the loss of a friend? To have.
It's comforting to know thatsadness and sufferingThey are normal and expected for a season with friends. As in the case of the departure of Jesus, there are many situations that we cannot change and that lead to a kind of friendship that lasts only a season.
How do we deal with the game and thatdiscouragementwhat follows may be essential forour growthand can begood friendto the others.
The good news is sadnesslose a friendIt can always be fixed with the help of these longtime friends.
friends forever
friends for onelifespanThey are the kind of friends that hold us despite the storm.disappointmentor the interrupt comes. We usually have co-workers and acquaintances that we've known for years, but lifelong friends are those wholook at us, knows us, knows us and still loves us. I have wonderfulFriends forever'and thank you every day.
Friends for life take work and it takes two people to work hard for each other.Metaand personal growth, respect for othersLimitsand realistic expectations.
Offer friends for lifeforgiveness, unconditional love, support and space. They don't own us or control us.
We experience these kinds of virtuous and mutually beneficial friendships whenGod comes first in our lifebecause we don't cling to someone hoping that he fills or completes us.
„A true friend is always loyal and a brother is born to help in times of need."
Proverbs 17:17 NLT
Though Jesus left his disciples in the flesh, through his resurrection and the impartation of the Holy Spirit, he became their lifelong friend and ours.
"I told you this while I was still with you. The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all and remind you of everything I have told you." John 14:26 NLT
“The Comforter will come, the Spirit who will reveal the truth about God and who will come from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father, and he will speak from me.”
(Video) What are 3 types of friendships?John 15:26 NIV
Our ability to endure and be lifelong friends, even in the midst of conflict and pain, is nurtured when our deepest need for love and friendship is met through Christ and the comfort of the Holy Ghost.
What are friendships based on?
My hope in friendship circles, whatever they may be, is to carry an image and radiatethe love that God constantly gives me,because the 3 types of friendship are based on love.
What are friendships based on? Love. My hope is to be charming in firm friendships, but also in a friendship that already existed.punctuated by conflicts;even if I feel wronged, sad and missing the person and I don't understand what happened.
This is the only way to build friendships based on love and onedivine friendsets my expectations vertically toward Christ rather than horizontally toward others, andget closer to Godthrough changes and seasons of friendship.
All 3 types of friendship bring joy to life. As we learn to love more deeply and forgive more extravagantly, we understand what friendships are built on and become honest and virtuous friends.
How does Jesus define friendship?
How does Jesus define friendship?Jesus is our closest and truest friend, a friend of the soul. How does Jesus define friendship? He is always available and takes care of aabundance in our mindthis cannot be compared with any earthly friendship.
If we ask ourselves what is friendship? He canread in the biblethat Jesus provides the perfect model of what a loving and virtuous friend looks like. From the place of experiencing His extreme love andSatisfaction,we can turn to others and love them unconditionally where our joy is complete. Let's go with the hope of what friendship brings and what it doesn't.temerwhat we risk
As Jesus prepared to be taken to the cross where he would die, he addressed his disciples:
“I told you these things for aMeta: so that my joy may be your joy and your joy may reach full maturity. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. That's the best way to love. He risks his life for his friends.
John 15:13 NIV
Jesus lost his life for us, his friends. His death was the atonement for our sin, but also a personal and relational act of friendship. He expressed a deep, sacrificial love for all people in his life and death and set an example for us to follow.
Regardless of which of the 3 types of friendship you belong to, you need to understand how Jesus defines friendship and trust.My Identityand your enduring love helps me to be a better friend.
And you? How did learning the 3 types of friendship help? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!