Audacious Faith

Friendship

My youth group is very different than most youth groups. We are small, but we are very close. We're a family. The thing is, we've been through so much together because in a small town, you grow up with the same people from the time you're born, to the time you leave for college. So we love each other deeply because of how long we've known each other. We include everyone no matter the age or the gender. There is no drama and there is no cliquiness. Just acceptance. I am so lucky for all of them. They aren't perfect, but they are perfect for me.

The girls in my youth group are all so wonderful. They are beautiful and they each have insecurities, but they try so hard to overcome them. They are some of my best friends because they teach me to be more like Jesus would have me be. They are better people than I could ever hope to become.

The boys in my youth group are hard to explain. I feel really feel proud of them. They’ve come a long way. They are handsome young men and they have so many pressures around them every day. They are learning what it is to be a man of God and they treat us with so much respect. They’re like brothers to me, but I know any girl would be lucky to grow up and marry them.

There is so much love in my heart for my youth leaders Carl and Benson. They are both young and crazy and they make me laugh harder than anyone ever has. They understand out problems and they do their best to help us get through this short thing we call life.

But the meain reason I really love my youth group is because we are all SO different. We’ve grown up together and we’ve all become our own person. Despite this, we’ve become very close and contributed those differences to make this little family. Isn't that a cute way of refering to my youth group? A family.

We are driven in the right direction. And when we aren't, we push each other back onto the right path. We LOVE God. No one will understand the bond we share. In the hallways we see each other and smile. There are so many words behind those little smiles. Because no one else understands the connection we all have.

I can only hope you find a youth group or a group of friends similar to this. It is the best feeling in the world to be able to have people around that love you and want you to do great things.

We’ve cried so hard together, we’ve all held hands and felt God pour himself into us. We’ve all prayed in times that were too hard for words to describe. But we’ve also been the happiest any of us has ever been when we're together. When I’m with these people, I feel alive. I feel closer to God than I do anywhere else.

Why am I telling you this? One reason. Fellowship.

God gives us people to be with because he knows we need friendships. We need to form relationships and learn to love others. It’s so necessary. It helps us get through good and bad times, and it’s important that we aren’t lonely. Loneliness is one of the most terrible feelings in the world.

Do you know what it means to be someone who touched the life of a lonely person's heart? That is so precious. God wants his children to feel loved and for his children to love each other. You are the brother of a child halfway across the world and you can't even pray for them? Simple acts of kindness can affect so much in a person’s life.

This time on earth is short but it feels so long. Even with good friendships and good people, this life has hit me hard. It’s so full of evil and sin. Without others to keep me strong, I really believe I would be lost. So who do you think I’m going to pick as my close friends? People who are trustworthy and people that I know have my back, or people that are sneaky with bad intentions?

Here's a few verses that help me figure our who it is I want to be close to.

1) “Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?” – Proverbs 20:6

I’m not saying you can’t be friends with people who aren’t Christians. That’s the opposite of what I’m saying. I’m just stressing how important it is that you stand firm in your faith. You can’t let others mess with your head and influence you in negative ways. That’s the devil.

And don’t tell me that your friends don’t influence you, because that’s a lie. The people we choose to be around are affecting the way we think, feel, and act. They can mean so much in the shaping of our personalities and character.

2) “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”

Do you talk about others? Man, I hope not. That is such a bad thing to do. It can lose friendships, it can hurt others, and it only makes you look insecure. If there is one thing Jesus tells us not to do, it’s judging. How can you expect to form good relationships with others by talking badly about another person? That's just silly.

If you have a friend that loves to gossip- distance yourself. They are surly talking about you. Stop lying to yourself and hoping that they aren’t doing this to you behind your back. Because they are and they will. It’s a very untrustworthy thing to do. It’s a sin.

3) “Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.” –Proverbs 3:32

Please evaluate your friendships. Relationships are so important, but you need to categorize the people you hang out with based upon a few things.

1)      How they act towards others.

2)      How they act towards you.

3)      How they act towards the Lord.

Yes, those are the three most important factors in a friendship, or any relationship.

One of my best friends is a girl named Grace. She is the most Godly person I know. She is so kind and so loving. She does everything in her life for the Lord. She is most certainly audacious for Him. When I’m around her, I feel a difference in my spiritual faith. It’s amazing.

So don’t tell me relationships don’t affect the kind of person you are. They do. I’m asking you to be a Godly friend towards others this week and also to surround yourself with Godly people.

Is that difficult? It is. But it’s also an audacious thing to do. People judge you so quickly these days, so make sure what they see is what God would want them to see. That includes the people they’re seeing you with.

Author's note:

Bam. Blessed.

Ha, just joshin', but seriously, this means alot to me. I've had so many terrible friendships and it's done nothing but bad in my life. The people you hang out with mold you into the person you are. Let it be good.

And whatever you do, be a friend to a lonely person. That can mean all the difference.

- ACertainLady___