Monday, September 28, 2009

Making Room

Several years ago I made a deal with myself that, being the clothes horse that I am, whenever I buy new clothes I have to give some of my old clothes away. This helps me keep my closet in halfway-decent shape and prevents me from having a total meltdown because of too many choices of what to wear. It also forces me to rid my closet of clothes that I haven't worn in a long time.

Deciding which clothes get the heave-ho is sometime difficult. Sentimentality can play a large role in determining which items make the cut. For instance, I have a couple of sweatshirts from my college days that are ratty and oversized and don't ever get to leave the house. But I keep them anyway because they remind me of my days working in the sports information office and going to ballgames and what a blast I had.

There are a variety of reasons that I no longer wear some of my clothes. Some of them are too big for me (yay!). Others are (ahem) a little on the tight side. (Must have shrunk in the wash.) And then there are some that are just out of style. In a few cases, the clothes never were a great fit for me, the cut or color didn't flatter me, and I should have left them on the sales rack to begin with.

As I think about getting rid of some old clothes to make room for new, I'm also thinking about the friendships and relationships that I've experienced over the years. Some have become what I consider classic friendships--like that perfect black pair of pants or white button down shirt that never go out of style. I may go through phases where I'm closer to those friends than at other times, but I know they'll always be part of my life in one way or another.

Then there are some friendships that ran their course and ended gradually. These are friendships that no longer fit where I am in life. That doesn't mean that there was anything wrong with those particular friends; it's just that our friendship was only meant to last a season, and that season has passed. Those can be difficult friendships to let go of, even though I know we no longer fit as well as we once did.

When you've invested time and energy and emotion in a friendship and it seems to have transitioned into a more casual friendship (or, in some cases, a nonexistent one altogether), it's hard to admit. But I'm realizing that sometimes I have to make room and let some friends go in order to allow God to bring new friends into my life. And who knows, God may choose to bring those old friends back into my life at some point down the line. Or He may have an even deeper, better fitting friendship in store for me. Day by day, I'm learning to trust Him to know which people I need in my life at that particular moment. He truly knows what fits me best.

1 comment:

Donna G said...

Great analogy...you know I love it.

Some relationships are like those clothes that look great on the hanger....but never just hang right on you. It is hard to give them up, but it is the right thing to do.