Hey, Carpool Crew. Happy Saturday. I am so glad you're spending some of your weekend with us. I'm Pastor Justin, and I got a quick question for you. Have you ever had a friend just kinda go quiet over the summer? They're not mad. There's no fight. They're just not messaging you back, or they're not coming to the door as often. You start wondering if you're even still friends. Summer makes friendships go quiet sometimes. People travel, they're at camp, their families get busy, and suddenly the friend you saw every single day is just gone for a while, and that quiet can feel kinda scary, like maybe something's wrong. So today, let's talk about what to do with it. Let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride. A real friend keeps being your friend even through the quiet stretches. Listen to this from Proverbs chapter 17, verse 17. It says, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time." So don't skip those words. At all times, not just the loud, fun times together. All times include the quiet times, the far apart times, the times when you haven't talked in three weeks. Think about it. Quiet is not the same as over. A friendship can go quiet for a whole season and still be completely alive. A friendship can go quiet for a few weeks over the summer, maybe even a little longer, and still be completely fine. See, the silence doesn't mean it died. It usually just means that summer happened. Trips happened. Don't take it personal. So the question isn't whether your friend went quiet. The question is what kind of friend you're gonna be while it's quiet. If Jesus were sitting next to you, I think he'd probably say, "Don't let the quiet scare you into thinking your friendship is over. Real friends hold on through the quiet parts, the times you don't see each other. Keep being a good friend right now, and trust me with the rest." See, it's a few weeks into summer, and your best friend hasn't messaged you back in what feels like forever. And your brain starts filling in the worst story, that they don't like you anymore or they found a better friend. But instead of believing this scary story, you decide to be the kind of friend the verse talks about. You send one kind message or ask your parents to text their parents. Say, "Hey, just thinking about you. Hope camp was awesome. Hope your summer's going great." And whether they message you back in two seconds or two weeks, you are still real friends through the quiet. This week, if you have a situation just like this, here's a couple things you can try. First, when a friend goes quiet, just send one kind message with no pressure attached to it. Second, when your brain starts writing this scary story, just whisper to yourself, "God, help me be a steady friend when the quiet happens." And last, and this is a big one, ask yourself, "Do I drop people the second things get quiet, or am I a great friend at all times?" Hey, let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. A real friend keeps being friends even through the quiet stretches. Remember, Carpool Crew, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And hey, guess what? If you have some free time and you want to color something awesome, we have some great coloring pages on carpoolingwithjesus.com. Just click Carpool Crew, and your parents can print off a bunch for you. And when you're done, you can upload it back through the website right to me. I'd love to see it. Now, before you go, let's answer this question together. Who's a friend that's gone a little quiet, and what's one kind thing you could send them to say hello? I'll see you later, Carpool Crew. Have a good one.
