Sharper Than Iron

     A couple of weeks ago, I was able to take a trip to see some of my best friends from college, because one of them decided to grow up and get married. I had not seen these girls in a few years, and even though I had missed them in that time, I didn't really realize just how much until we were all together again. They weren't just my friends though, they were also my roommates, the people I had spent the most time with in my years at college. They knew know me better than just about anyone, because they were the people who saw me at my worst, and I like to think that there were moments where I saw them at theirs. We lived in the safety of our dorm room, a place where we could go when life seemed to be anything but easy. We were each others' confidants. Late nights staying up talking about anything and everything and nothing were a common occurrence and something that, until a few weeks ago, I had taken for granted. I didn't realize how important these relationships and these people were until I was able to experience them again, after going so long without them. These girls, my girls, bring out the best in me. They were there for me when my family couldn't be. We are all as different as you can possibly be, and yet we all manage to work together. Seeing the people who mean the most to you again, being able to just sit and talk and celebrate and remember.....it puts you in a good place. It makes you feel like you can handle whatever is going to come next. It makes you remember the best parts of yourself, and helps you to see the things in yourself that you forgot. True friends are hard to come by. They are, by far, one of the greatest treasures that someone can have.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." -John 15:12-13

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for times of adversity." -Proverbs 17:17

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." -Proverbs 27:17

     I don't think that there was a day during this trip that we all went to sleep before 1 a.m. The time we had together, just like the time we had in college, was precious. Every second was treasured, because I think at some point, whether it was during that weekend or way before then, we all realized just how much we need each other. God brings you to places at certain times so you can meet people that will be your sharpening iron. Sometimes it's for a season, and sometimes it's for a lifetime. Either way, these people are there to shape us into who we are meant to be. They are our earthly support, the ones we can lean on, both emotionally and physically. Choosing your irons is one of the most important decisions that you can make. Choose them carefully. Let those closest to you bring out your best, even when you can't see it. Let them build you up, and sharpen you into the person God is calling you to be.