"Iron sharpens iron as man sharpens man" Proverbs 27:17
Hey guys!
Proverbs 27:17 is my all-time favorite verse. It puts so much emphasis on just how much friends and community can affect you. I say this all the time, but God created us to be relational beings. He wants us to have community and accountability. He has done so much work on my life recently through my community.
I have attended my church for my entire life. I've been part of the youth group since 6th grade. But I didn't become truly connected until last year. It wasn't until last night that I realized exactly how much my friends had been effecting me. Thankfully, this is in a good way, but it wasn't always a good effect. I was talking to my mom last night about a choice I had to make. I had been offered a job, but if I accepted it I would have to miss our youth service every week. "You've been doing so well recently" she said. Those words hit me hard. To be doing well recently, I had to have been struggling at some point.
My freshman year was hard. Throughout the year I maintained a really bad friendship that affected me a lot more than I realized. It pushed me away from God and from the people who I would eventually begin to love and trust. God put 6 amazing girls into my life that constantly show me love. Even when I didn't want to be friends with them. Even when I only went to youth because my mom made me. In December God laid a burden on my heart. I was surrounded by 2 friends that caused me so much pain and self-hate on one side, and on the other side, 6 girls who only brought me joy and peace. You would think it's a pretty obvious choice. Not for me.
I continued to put all of my heart and soul into a friendship that would cause so much destruction in the future, but God also began opening my heart to the possibility of new friendships. My family hosted 12 girls for a weekend church event, and I continued to grow closer to these girls. As a result of that, I began to feel safer and more passionate about God. Then in February, my mom told me to invite some friends to a conference we were going to attend. My brain went wild. I knew I couldn't invite the 2 bad influences, but I didn't know the other girls that well. I ended up inviting 4 of the church girls, and through the conference, we were able to develop trust and a community that would serve each of us so well.
As this year has continued, our friendship has only grown. We've created accountability, we've learned from each other, and I've been able to grow in my faith because of these girls. This is the long-winded way of telling y'all that community changes everything. When you have people who are chasing after God at the speed you are, you can rely on each other for help when you stumble. When you are surrounded by people who love and care about you because you are their sister or brother in Christ, you can create a relationship that will last.
I didn't realize that when people say, "you become who you surround yourself with", they meant it. God created us to be in fellowship with one another. To be able to trust each other, and tell one another when they are walking in sin. To support one another when somebody stumbles. To genuinely have concern for one another when someone is struggling. God created us to have relationships in which we are comfortable to confess sin. To ask for prayer. To glorify Him without feeling ashamed.
I sat down at lunch with some girls yesterday and was so happy to feel comfortable praying before we ate. I told a friend about my schedule and felt cared for when they expressed genuine concern for how busy I'll be. I was so excited to receive a text asking about how my friend could be praying for me. Every night I am overwhelmed by how blessed I am to be in a community of friends built on God.
I pray that you find friends and build friendships on a shared love of the Lord. I pray that in those friendships there is trust and accountability. I pray that you constantly are growing in your relationship with God because your friends challenge you to. If you don't have friendships as I've described, I pray that you remain steadfast and patient. It took me 4 years of being around the same girls to finally start a friendship with them.
Praying,
Addison Wimbish
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