I am reminded everyday that I am not good just on my own. The more I do things simply relying on myself and forgetting those around me, the more I am reminded of my own flesh. I am not perfect, nor will I ever be. And neither will any of the people I love be perfect other than Jesus.

One thing I do know about the people that I am constantly surrounded by is that, they love Jesus. I can confidently say they KNOW Jesus. I also can say that I have witnessed them actively striving to know Jesus and seeking to be more like Him everyday.

It’s refreshing to know that there are other people out there seeking Jesus as much as I want to and that there’s people to speak wisdom and Truth into your ear when you are having trouble reminding yourself of these things. Christ gave us people to remind us of His goodness.

There was a time in my life that I didn’t have many believing friends, no one to really keep me accountable for my actions other than my parents. Not many people my age that I could talk about Christ with. So yes, I understand what its like to be the only believer in the room, and it’s hard. Its hard to keep the faith when everyone else is pushing you away from it and the counseling you are receiving is not of Christ. I also understand that we are not called to only be surrounded by believers, we are called to be witnesses to those that don’t believe. Jesus sat with people who didn’t believe in Him, but His closest friends, those He trusted, and those he confided in did put their full faith in the Lord. This leads me to say that, never in my life would I have ever thought I would be surrounded by people like I am today. They are funny, they are creative, they are generous, they are truly just the most kind and gentle people I have ever met and they make me want to strive to be more like Jesus every day that I see them, because they remind me of Him.

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20

I can say from experience that when you surround yourself with people that don’t love Christ, it can get you into some pretty tricky and confusing states, where you aren’t looking at things from Heaven’s perspective, instead you are looking at it from a worldly perspective. A worldly perspective makes sense, but it is not wise. Heaven’s perspective, God’s perspective, is wise and the only way to know His perspective is to talk to Him and to study His word. People can be a great witness to each other and as believers we are meant to remind each other of the Heavenly perspective of situations and to point every situation back to Christ and Scripture.Truthfully, if I didn’t have these people around me to remind me of what Christ says about me, who Christ is, what Christ has done for us and what Christ is still going to do, I don’t know where I’d be today.

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

I witness my friends’ love for me everyday. Whether its a “Girl, what in the world are you doing, stop that.” or a “Just wanted to check in on you!” I know they are always there for me. They call me out when I need to be called out, and that IS love. Accountability is one of the greatest forms of love, because they call us to a higher standard of being, especially when it comes from Godly counsel, because they point us back to Christ and what He wants for us.

“Do not be mislead: “Bad company corrupts good character.” ” 1 Corinthians 15:33

My lovely friends have stuck with me through thick and thin, they have seen all the worst parts of me, the parts I wish no one would ever see. They’ve sat with me while I cried, they’ve prayed for me when I was not even around, they have prayed with me and they have prayed over me. There are many times I’ve tried to hide away into that dark space I’ve so frequently fallen into, but they pull me right back out into the light. They are reminders of a light in the darkness for me. They aren’t perfect and neither am I, but they are gifts from my Father in Heaven that has seen me struggling and He placed them with me right now, because He knows how much I need them.

Before coming to college, I prayed to God to please give me my bridesmaids for my future wedding. I begged Him to please give me Godly counsel and friendships that point me back to Him. And He delivered abundantly.

Thank you, my Jesus, for good company. Though You are the best company I could ask for, You have given me people that I don’t deserve in any way possible. You have given me people to hug, people to dance with, people to laugh with, people to love and love me back in return. Thank you so much. I don’t know where I’d be without the people you have given me. Help me to love them in the way You want me to and in the way You would.

I don’t know how to thank You, Lord. Amen.