Tonight I’m thankful for one of the greatest and most lovely gifts that God has bestowed upon us–friendship.
Friends aren’t perfect. I’ve been betrayed and dissapointed by the closest and kindest of friends. People aren’t always what I want them to be and I have been hurt many times. My friends have lied to me, told my secrets, and let me down. And I’m no perfect friend either–I’ve done all of those things and more.
But still, there is a beauty in friendship that cannot be denied no matter how imperfect it is. It is a beauty so great that it makes me cry, and a gift so wonderful that I could praise God for it forever.
Because of…
These awesome friends who I’ve never met but who leave encouraging comments for me on my blog.
The friend far away who hurt me but taught me so much at the same time.
The beautiful girl who I can count on to hang out with me whenever, build me up, and keep my secrets.
My friends in Mexico who I’ll never see again, and the wonderful team that I shared the experience with.
The people who encourage me every day, and all of my beautiful ‘little sisters.’
My amazing gang of girls who love me for who I am, and always encourage me.
The group that I’ve known forever and ever and see sparodically but with whom I connect better than with anyone else. They make everything from singing VBS songs in front of the church and wearing sailor hats to making Bolivian food and going to the park fun, and I’m always myself with them.
My actual little sister who (unfortunately) knows how to get me mad but also knows my sense of humour and what I like perfectly.
My dear friend that I’ve known for life, almost the exact opposite of me but who I could talk to forever.
That great girl I go to Starbucks with–she knows my likes and dislikes, and talks to me for hours on end.
The awesome friend that called me when I was sad, and who I always look forward to seeing.
The one who shared so much of my childhood who I still love to be with.
The two that I’ve known for a short time but just make me smile at the thought of them because we’re “kindred spirits.”
The really, cool friend with the same name as me who goes to the beach randomly.
My wonderful friend who is always so considerate and constantly makes me feel better about myself.
The astounding friend that I have in Jesus, the creator of all these wonderful people!!!
As iron sharpens iron, so one friend sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
What do you love about your friends?
The Journey Home 
This is such a wonderful post. 🙂 It’s amazing how many friends we make in life and how we value friendships, how they come and go and then some just stay with you for the rest of your life.
I value that my friends are silly and even though we fight, we know how to make up and we know how to have a really good time together. We can worship together in the same church no matter our backgrounds, and that’s important to me. I love that. 🙂 I also really value the people I know online but I’ve never met before in my life, they help me grow as a better person. 🙂
Yes, worshiping together with friends from other backgrounds is such a great thing! I love how you reminded me that only the team that went to Mexico with me and my little sister are actually from my church. Everyone else is from a different church background…some of them extremely different from mine. Some of my greatest friends go to our old church which we left because of things we disagreed about. However, that didn’t stop friendship. And online friends are great! It is amazing how much you can share with someone you have never even met! 🙂
What I love about my friends is that I can write and talk to them effectively because we have the same faith and we are similar in likes and dislikes. We may disagree on some or many things, but I have learned that it’s not worth it to get mad at your friend, but just to respect their differences and pray for them. After all, your dislikes may be as offensive to them as theirs are to you! My friends know me well, and I can talk for hours with any of them about wonderful topics! My friends respect me and I respect them. I know I can go to them with a problem and they will give me some advice (although I usually get council from adults first). We can share what’s on our heart and we grow up with each other in the Lord. Thank you Lord for all my friends. And thank you, friends, for being you! Thanks, Liz! (Great picture, by the way:)
I love all of those things that you mentioned, Kaleigh. Thank you for being my friend! Thank you for respecting me and praying for me when we disagree. 🙂
Wow, I love your blog! It inspires me a lot! Well, I must say that my friends are amazing. I have lots of them, but especially the ones close to my heart are amazing. We can laugh, cry, argue, tease, discuss and just hang – and every moment means so much. We’re there for each other, and, like you said, are sharpening irons over and over and over again :D.
I write poems as a hobby and post them on my blog (www.kispirazone.blogspot.com). Here’s a poem I wrote to them:
Smile: the curve on your mouth
That makes life worth while
Care: the gentle help I’ll give you
When you’re feeling fragile
Trust: the belief we share
The faith in each other
Dreams: what we all wish for
And later rediscover
Fun: the time we have together
The laughter we share
Kindness: the little things we do
To show that we care
Sorry: the word used so often,
Followed by forgiveness
Truth: the real facts
Always shared between us
Together: being with each other
Sharing live together
Friends: what we call us –
True friends forever!
😀
Hi Kailee,
Thank you for checking my blog out! It really means a lot to me. 🙂
Your poem is beautiful. I’ve never seen that style before and I think its really cool. I love writing poetry, too (so we have something in common 🙂 I’ll definitely check out your blog!
God bless,
Elizabeth
That is so beautiful. I have never thought about how even though our friends do things to us that can make us upset or betray us, they still lift us up. Very encouraging. It is all for His Glory!
Love,
Avonlea
Thank you!
I love the one that says ” The beautiful girl that I can count on to hang out with me whenever, build me up, and keep my secrets.” 🙂
I thought you might! Hehe. 🙂