I Lost a Friend but Learned How to Trust God
“The same story told from two different perspectives have completely different meanings; that’s what life is.” This quote by director and screenwriter Ava Duvernay resonated deeply with me during the painful ending of a friendship.
A lot of misunderstanding sat between my former friend and me right before the friendship imploded.
Even when glimmers of hope surfaced that maybe it could be saved, our inability to trust again and be vulnerable with each other sealed our friendship’s demise.
The rejection hurt me. Profoundly.
God saw me, and He wanted me to trust Him in the unknowns of grieving that loss.
I chose to walk with Him through it so I could learn how to heal.
What I Learned From God
There’s a regular inner dialogue taking place between God and me daily.
One thing He revealed to me is that one person’s experience doesn’t get to cancel out another person’s experience — both can be valid.
The pain and challenges my friend and I had with each other were real.
Another thing God helped me see is that listening to the other person in a relationship and choosing to see the story from a different viewpoint, even if you may not fully understand it, is hard work.
The work is necessary because it brings change to both people, helping them mature.
God invited me to be faithful to this process of discovery, which gave me a chance to consider:
- In what ways could I become a better listener in my friendships?
- How did God want me to deepen in my compassion and understanding for others?
- What were unhealthy parts of that former friendship that I don’t need to resurrect in new ones?
God gave me priceless lessons in how to lose and let go. Because of that, I can value my story and understand the experiences of others.
Next Steps
Here are 21 Bible verses to help when trusting God is difficult.
