In my circle at church, we are surrounded by a wide spectrum of friendships. The ones that capture my attention tend to be the ones defined by time, attention, and deep love—best friendships. Not only has it been a long time since I have had a friendship of such depth, but never have I had a friendship developed in and focus on Christ. It is that brand of closeness I crave.
Last weekend, a small group from our church went to Moscow , Tennessee Moscow
We played kickball together, ate all our meals together, made s’mores at the bonfire together, worshipped together, prayed together, experienced underground church together, but my most favorite activity was our small group time together.
Our first evening there, we all sat in the warmly lit den and introduced ourselves. Even still, we were mostly strangers. While the guys roughhoused to break ice, we girls remained closer to those whom we were already acquainted. It was the next day when we gathered for our small groups that the atmosphere of unfamiliarity ultimately melted away.
As our group of five sat by the lake, I was touched by each story from each uniquely beautiful young woman. I marveled at God’s hand in instantly developing trust within our circle.
In a world where much remains shallow and untouched, it was encouraging to be enveloped by immediate love and acceptance. We grew together as friends, offering our stories and empathizing with each hardship, trauma, success, and desire.
As the weekend came a close, we hugged and made promises to keep in touch. Among prayers of discipleship and accountability partners, my highest prayer is that of growing in these friendships. It is my hope that they extend far beyond our experience at the retreat.
I really felt God’s intimate love fold over the group that day, opening our hearts to being vulnerable. He made strangers into friends, and more distinctly, He made us sisters in Christ.
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