I was just scrolling through Instagram when that headline caught me, “Being Friends With a Celebrity.”
It was the latest clip from B. Simone’s podcast Let’s Try This Again, and before I knew it, I was locked in.
Her guest? None other than her longtime friend, Shekinah Yon. The topic? Friendship, struggle, perception, and the often unspoken rules of proximity to power.
Shekinah vulnerably shared how, in one of the lowest moments of her life this past year, living back with her parents, a single mom on Medicaid, financially depleted, her friend, B. Simone, was cutting generous checks to others around her. And while the sting of not being helped was real, Shekinah said something most wouldn’t: “God had to take me through for my own season.”
And that, right there, is where the conversation took a deeper turn.
Later, Shekinah talked about finally getting a new opportunity, one that gave her real hope. When she told B. Simone about it, the response was… flat.
Not fake.
Not shady.
Just, disconnected.
B. Simone later called her back to apologize and admit she was caught off guard; not because she was jealous, but because, truthfully, she wished the opportunity had included her.
She wanted to build something with her friend.
That moment exposed a tension many of us feel but rarely say out loud:
What do we really owe our friends when we’re up and they’re down?
And do we actually mean it when we call someone our “friend”… or are they just in our circle of comfort, not commitment?
See, B. Simone talked about how her giving had been abused in the past, how people had taken and taken from her. And as someone who gives freely and deeply, I felt that. But here’s the twist; Even while Shekinah was struggling, B. Simone was still giving, just not to her.
That’s the part that made people online pause.
“How could she do her friend like that?” “I’d never let my friend go through that without helping.”
But let’s be real.
Yes, you would’ve.
If that friend wasn’t in the category of your “inner circle.”
There’s levels to this.
Even Jesus had them…
The multitude, the seventy, the twelve, the three… and then, the one.
He loved them all. But He trusted and revealed Himself to each at different levels.
This wasn’t about malice.
It was about placement.
And whether we like it or not, people will help according to how they’ve categorized you in their lives.
Now? Shekinah’s on her feet. She has her own opportunity. And now, ironically, I believe her friend sees her differently.
Not because she’s changed who she is, but because her position changed.
And B. Simone? She might meet her needs now, or not. But now… she considers it. Because the category has shifted.
Let this be a reminder:
Your season doesn’t always reflect your value.
And your worth isn’t always seen, until it’s proven.
But if you can walk through that valley without bitterness, like Shekinah did,
what’s on the other side may just speak louder than any friendship ever could.
Be encouraged…
Written by @momentswithtun
Photographer: @ten21portraits
