Friendship, what a blessing

FRIENDSHIP

I want to take some time talking about friendship today. Friendship is so special and it's such a blessing. One of the biggest lessons God has taught me this year has been how to pick friends and what REAL friends are. He started by breaking down what was unhealthy in my life, and within the span of a week I lost two people who were very dear to me. ("Lost" as in no longer friends...not "lost" as in they died or anything... Just saying.) And then God started rebuilding. The first block, my "foundation friend," was Rebekah Koontz.

Rebekah and I met at a singing class that our home-school group offered. Usually it takes a while for me to warm up to new people, but I liked her from the beginning. I just felt really comfortable around her, and by the end of the first day we were laughing and having a good time. Some months later we saw just how much God's hand was involved in our becoming friends when we realized we were helping each other through situations that were very similar. 

When I met Rebekah I had been regularly attending Bible Baptist Church but didn't really know anybody. Lucky for me, some random small crisis hit at their old church and Rebekah and her family started coming to "my" church and now they're permanently stuck with me. *mwahahaha* .... I mean... Go figure! Rebekah is (though you would never guess) the more social of us two, and within, what? The first week or two? of coming to Bible Baptist she started making friends... Which means I got new friends. Hurray! It started with Tim and Michael, and we were the Fantastic Four for quite awhile. The deep friendship that we found surprised all of us and we were in awe. And then, not wanting to becoming a clique, we expanded the group and now we have Chris, Jake, & Dana. The Magnificent Seven. We all had our reservations about adding more people, afraid it would mess up what we had found... God surprised us all. Adding in more people only made our friendships BETTER. None of us have experienced a group like we have, and...well... I don't know quite else how to describe it. We all have each others backs. We all support each other either verbally, in prayer, or both. When even just one of us is struggling the whole group pulls together and prays for that friend and their struggle. It's a beautiful thing. 

This is what I believe friendship was intended by God to be. The Bible says:
Proverbs 18:24
There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. (NLT)
Proverbs 20:6
Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable? (NLT)
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. (NLT)
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. (NLT)
John 15:13
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

WOW. 

How are your friendships? Do you have friends that you would be willing to die in place of? 

Friends are MUCH more then people to go out and have fun with. Yes, that's great part of having friends! But it's not the sole purpose of friends. Friends are supporters, encourager-s, prayer warriors, fellow fighters, shoulders to cry on, sources of wise council, and, yes, fun-buddies. A friend will know everything about you, even the seemingly insignificant stuff. They'll know what makes you smile, what hurts you, what you like to do, what you don't, your joys, your sorrows, your dreams, your fears, they will sometimes even know you better then you know yourself. For me that person is Rebekah. I highly value her council because there has been more then one time when I, on the verge of making a decision, will be turned right back around because of her council. She knows when I'm about to make a mistake and she's not afraid to be honest with me, not afraid of possibly hurting my feelings. Because Rebekah knows that hurt feelings heal and go away, whereas foolish decisions last forever. 

Yes. Friends are very special. And being a friend requires responsibility and commitment. But Godly friendships are a blessing to be CHERISHED. I thank God daily for the friends he has given me. What was taken away was repaid four-fold. Each friend I have is special in a different way, and each one I never want to live without. I know this post has been mostly about my friends from my church, but I don't want to exclude the other dear friends I have: Rachel, Jade, Jill, Stephanie, Claire, Karen, Lorraine, Abby, Allie, Alyssa, Carmel, Karli, Jacob(lol the only guy), Sammi, Selah... And I know there's more. All of the people are good friends, and most of their parents have been blessings to me as well. God has indeed surrounded me with a great circle of people, and I hope I'm a blessing to them too. 

I could go on forever about friendship, it's such an amazing subject. But this is where I'll finish for now. Please leave a comment and let me know what your thoughts are about friendships! 

~Until next time~