A Friend Is a Friend Indeed

College campuses are made to build relationships.

Think about it.

A gaggle of inspired twenty-somethings from all walks of life, and all corners of the globe, are flung together on a closed campus, told to pursue their passions, and encouraged to meaningfully interact with anyone they see. Couple that with the spice of sharing crazy experiences, like playing the floor-is-lava in a dormitory basement or sledding down hills on pilfered cafeteria trays (not-that-I-did-either-of-those-things-ahem), and you’ve got the recipe for BFFs.

Imagine, then, the confusion when graduation rolls around. You walk across the stage, receive your well (or maybe not so well) earned diploma, take a few Instagram-able pictures, and move on with your life. Seriously, the day after college graduation is the most surreal ever. You’re just standing in an empty dorm room surrounded by piles of boxes, much like you did when you first arrived, except this time you can’t box up the pieces of yourself that you left behind. Now you’re heading back home to Columbus  or Fargo or wherever it is you’re from.

Though college life and I are increasingly distant from one another, I find myself wanting to return to those days. The days where friends were ready-made. Oftentimes in this post-graduation adult-responsibility life, I feel friend-less. And it’s not because I don’t have friends, it’s just that they’re hard to come by. Or, rather, time with them is hard to come by. I miss the days when a bosom buddy was right down the hall, and you could just bang on her door and instantly have a playmate.

My kindred-spirited friends are far flung now. And, face it, when you’re 300 or however many miles away it’s hard to do life together.

Maybe I’m saying that I miss the convenience of college friendships.

As a married woman and new mom, nothing in my life is especially convenient. Getting out the door is a hassle. Spending a few hours away from baby takes planning. And my husband and I are still in many ways juggling our “two become one” schedules. There’s just a lot going on and I miss the carefree-ness of having friends close by.

While I’m thinking through how my friendships should look in this season, I have drawn comfort from knowing I have “a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

What a friend indeed.