The Friends Who Stay

Yesterday we talked about weddings, but what about friendships? Friendships don’t come with vows or ceremonies. There’s no aisle, no music, and no one standing up front promising to show up “for better or worse.” And yet, true friendship often asks us to live out those very words.

Think about the friends who’ve seen you at your best and your worst. You know, your "OG friends." The ones who sat on the couch with you after a break up. The ones who supported you in a new job. The ones who answered late-night texts, and who didn’t rush your healing or minimize your pain. The ones who visited you in the hospital when your baby was born. The ones who stayed when things got awkward, quiet, or complicated.That kind of friendship doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through love that chooses to stay.

If we dig deeper into 1 Corinthians 13:7, Scripture tells us, “love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” That kind of love shows up in friendship when we keep believing in someone—even when they’re struggling to believe in themselves. When we don’t walk away the moment life with them gets messy. When we hold space for silence, disappointment, unanswered prayers, and growth. Strong friendships require grace on both sides. We'll disappoint each other. We’ll miss calls. We’ll say the wrong thing. We may even go through seasons where we drift apart. But love that never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures doesn’t keep score—it keeps showing up. This verse reminds us that real friendship isn’t built on convenience or constant fun. It’s built on commitment. On hope. On the quiet decision to stay when it would be easier to let the distance grow.

Friendships change as people grow. Seasons shift. Priorities evolve. And sometimes the hardest part of friendship is learning how to love someone well in a season that looks different than the one you shared before.

What "Love Never Gives Up" Looks Like In a Friendship

• staying present when a friend is walking through grift, even after the casseroles stop coming

• checking in weeks, or months after a hard season, when everyone else assume they're "fine now"

• loving a friend through life changes—marriage, babies, moves, career shifts

• remaining loyal when a friend makes a mistake, even when it'd be easier to distance yourself

What "Love Never Loses Faith" Looks Like In a Friendship

• believing in who your friend is becoming, not just who they are in a hard season

• trusting your friend's heart, when their words came out wrong or their actions fell short

• speaking hope over your fiend when they're doubting themselves

• staying invested in a friendship that feels distant, trusting that the bond is bigger than a quiet season

• continuing to pray for a friend's future

• trusting God is still at work in your friend's life, even when progress feels invisible

What "Love Is Always Hopeful" Looks Like In a Friendship

• encouraging a friend to keep going when life hasn't turned out they way they imagined

• celebrating small wins in your friend's life

• sitting with a friend in disappointment without rushing them, believing better days are ahead

• reminding a friend of past seasons they survived when they're afraid they won't make it this one

• looking forward to future joy together—milestones, girls' nights, laughter and memories

• Trusting that God is still writing something good, even when the present doesn't feel like it

What "Love Endures Through Every Circumstance" Looks Like In a Friendship

• staying connected through life-altering seasons like grief, illness, or divorce

• remaining present when the friendship changes because of children, career demands, or distance

• choosing forgiveness after hurt

• holding onto the friendship through disagreements

• standing by a friend when their life looks nothing like yours—resisting comparison or resentment

• continuing to pray for, speak well of, and protect a friend—even when they aren't present to see it

SHE Walks in Faith

Ask God to help you love your friends with endurance—staying present through distance, hopeful through change, and faithful in every season.

🩷 Prayer

God, thank you for loving me with a love that never gives up. Teach me to reflect that same enduring love in my friendships—staying hopeful, faithful, and present, even when relationships change. Help me love the way You do. Amen.