I think the hardest thing about ending a friendship is finding the balance between I have forgiven you, but I still want nothing to do with you. I've had people tell me that if I've really forgiven someone then I should be open to being friends with them again. My immediate response to that is this, I ended that friendship for a reason. Just because I have forgiven them doesn't mean I should allow myself to be treated badly again. If they haven't changed, why would I ever put myself back into a bad situation? That isn't healthy. It doesn't benefit anyone.
I think the worst part about ending a friendship is when the other person doesn't think they did anything wrong. They either don't care that they hurt you, or they don't even realize what they did was hurtful. I honestly don't know which one is worse. I do know that that person was never really your friend. I think when you come to this realization it makes ending the friendship easier because you realize they were never your friend, to begin with.
It's hard when you have friends who continue to hang out with your former friend. You don't always understand why they like the person. When you end a friendship, you are able to step back from it and gain a new perspective. A lot of the time you will realize that you should have ended the friendship a long time ago. You don't want you friend to be hurt by the same person that hurt you. You wonder if your former friend cares about your current friend in a way they never cared about you. That will hurt a lot for a while but eventually you just won't care anymore. It really is true that time heals all wounds even ones left by someone you thought would always be there for you.
It is never easy to end a friendship, but it doesn't mean it isn't worth it. This past year I had to cut a lot of people out of my life for various reasons, and it was honestly the best thing I could have done. I'm a lot happier without pointless drama in my life, and God has given me the best friends I have ever had. I am so incredibly thankful for y'all. Y'all have never made me doubt for a second that I was important to you.
I am not open to being friends again with certain people because I don't think I will ever be able to trust them. I don't handle being manipulated very well oddly enough. I don't like people who act one way with me and totally different with someone else. I have come to realize that for me trust is the foundation of a friendship. If I don't trust you, I don't want to be friends with you. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but I'm just being honest. I want you to know that just because I don't trust you doesn't mean I didn't forgive you. I am the type of person who easily trusts when I first became friends with someone, but my trust is very hard to gain back if you break it. In the words of Mr. Darcy "My good opinion once lost is lost forever."
