here's the one to my best friend

Jesus works in crazy ways in our lives, when we are least expecting it.

I never thought I would meet someone in high school who would have the same values as I do and would be a best friend for me to really live life with.

In my earlier high school days, I had really close friends who didn’t attend this school. They didn’t understand what it’s like to be an in culture such as the one I am. That made it difficult in some ways because I would sometimes talk about things going on but they would never be able to empathize with what I was going through. They could sympathize with me and try to understand it, but never be able to really understand it.

The awesome thing about Kate is that I can talk to her every single day and she can relate to the stories I tell about other people or the chemistry test that I’m stressing over at 11pm on the night of my birthday. (true story)

I am blessed to have lived another year of life, and as I think back to the people who have really impacted the last year of my life, she stands out in my mind.

She’s been there for me as I’ve gone through my first experience with a boyfriend, which has included a lot of confused emotions. She has always been there for me to help me process them.

She has been there for me when we’ve had tests to study for, the SAT to take and shopping to do. I am forever grateful for her advice, her shoulder to cry on and her ability to empathize with things I’m going through.

And most of all, I can have so much fun with her. Whether it is taking a late night drive to steak and shake with Kate and her sister or traveling to Cedar Pointe, I have so many memories with this girl. She will always play such a large role in my high school life. 

I love you, tingo.

to the friend who gives me grace

Her name lines up perfectly with what she gives freely to me, even when I have been an absolute piece of junk when it comes to being a good friend.

Grace. 

Wow. There's not enough words in my vocabulary to thank you for always sticking by me even when I haven't always been there for you. You've put up with the ugliness of my sinful nature: my pride, my selfishness and my shortcomings. Thank you for loving me through the midst of it.

You and I have been through similar situations and have had similar battles. I think that only you and I, and people who have struggled with the same issue understand how amazing it is to find someone who gets what you're struggling with. 

I have so much fun with you and I am realizing that you are one of the only people I can truly laugh with about the dumbest things that only we get. I think we were born to be soul-best friends. I'm praying that nothing, not even college and grown-up life will ever separate us.

I think you are my closest friend because you get me better than I know myself.

You know my tendencies. You know when I'm going to act a certain way around a boy, or that I will most likely react to a situation in ___ this way, so you give me advice in response to it. 

I think because we have had our clashes before, it makes our friendship inseparable and stronger than any other friendship I have. 

You know I think one of my favorite things about you is that we can laugh, but we can also have some of the deepest conversations known to human existence. One moment we might be laughing about Aaron playing the triangle and the next minute we might be talking about being accountability partners and why people make the choices they do. 

It must be the fact that we weren't meant to be just friends. We are truly somehow, in a strange way, knit together at the heart, because at the end of the day, we are immaculately family. Not just sisters in Christ, but family. 

Thank you for sticking by me all the times where I was blind to the idolization of friendships in my life that I forsook the time and energy I should've been investing in our friendship. Tears come to my eyes as I think about how blind I was and how BLESSED I am to have a friend that was willing to confront me and tell me about my sin. And to give me grace in the midst of it.

Thank you for waiting patiently until I realized my sin and thank you for still willing to be the person who actually genuinely gets me the most here on earth. 

And from the bottom of my heart I truly do mean this: I think you are getting more and more beautiful every single day, inside and out. 

Thank you for being a living reflection to me of what Jesus Christ looks like. 

love a lil more

what if we all decided to love a little more? regardless of what we will get in return?

Often times we try to make Christian community into heaven and we end up getting hurt because we don't seem to get what we need from a broken, earthly community.

When we give love and we seek community with Christ as the center, he will nourish us in our pursuit of community. Community cannot fill the hole of love and acceptance that only Christ can fill and community will hurt, but it is worth it.
There have been some incidents where new girls would start attending our church and my heart was not open to loving new people. I felt comfortable and happy with the girls I already had in my sphere. However, Jesus opened my eyes to the amazing friendships that were possible when I opened my heart to these girls and was willing to be vulnerable and grow closer to them. They have made me a better person and have taught me many valuable lessons about different things.

Not every girl is going to become your best friend, but if you have the common bond of Christ, you already have something mighty awesome in common. I have a girl who started attending our youth group about a year or so ago and yes we are friends, but our personalities are so different so we will never be close. Yet I am still called to give her the same amount of love as I give someone who I deeply desire to be around and love. So keep your heart open for the people that God wants you to open you heart to.

A little bit of love changes everything.

thoughts about mah seniors

As I write this, tears come to my eyes. It's honestly just a matter of knowing this is such a bittersweet topic and that addressing this issues brings a lot of complicated emotions in one package.

I have four very good friends who are seniors this year, and pretty much all of them are moving away. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned just a little bit about my thoughts regarding their graduation, but I wanted to put it all together to sort out my emotions.

Over the past year or so, we have grown closer together immensely. Each one has a different personality and different things I've appreciated about them.

The first one is moving away for over a year and basically I'll probably see him maybe two times if I'm lucky over the course of this next school year. This is the hardest goodbye for me; all of the other seniors who are leaving will be back and I will still keep in frequent contact with them. Even though all four of the seniors that are leaving will bring different sorrow to my heart in different ways, he is by far the one that I will struggle with letting go the most since the gap of time between his departure and when I see him again is a longgg time. And sometimes things just haven't felt the same when he was not at one event. I can't imagine what it will be like when he is never at anything.  

Something I struggle with is letting go of people who have become so much to me, and so not being able to hang out with him anymore is heartbreaking. Even though I trust God will do amazing things through him in the next year, it is time for the next season of our lives, meaning that his friendship with me and others at home will change. It's just hard to embrace that sometimes when that person has influenced not only you to become a better person but also has spiritually led those around you.

I guess ultimately what I'm trying to say is that each person brings something that is unique to them. Their unique personalities bring an aspect to my youth group and group of friends that is vital to the youth group functioning as it has been. Granted we have had our issues and sometimes we just haven't felt so close, but God has grown us closer together in ways I never imagined he would.

Losing such a big chunk of those spiritual leaders is hard this year, and I know that even though God will sustain me, I think it's okay to be sad because I am loosing a lot of people that mean a lot to me.

I just can't let it consume me and I have to open my heart to what God has next.

the idol of friendship

photo via pinterest 

Don't we all idolize this idea of a best friend that we can "do" life with daily and that will be our side for every Friday night, every shopping spree and every spring break? 

If we aren't careful, our best friend or our quest to find a best friend can become our idol.

Emotional dependence is something common in today's society, and is something I am struggling with myself.

What is the balance between having a great, godly friendship with someone and an idolized emotional dependence?

As girls, we are more prone to share every little detail with other girls and we process emotions and thoughts with each other.

These relationships cannot replace or take the place of Christ in our lives.

When we feel joy, fear, whatever it is, we should run to Christ first. 

How often do we tend to just go to the first person that is willing to listen? 

The way you can know if you are too emotionally dependent on someone else depends on this:

If you feel like you can't really go through hard times or struggles without processing it through your friend, there is a problem.

Our sharing with our friends and emotional connections with others should be an outflow of our relationship with Christ and not the replacement of it. 

Everything in our lives is supposed to be a reflection of what we have in Christ. Now just as I'm writing this post, I'm discovering how much I need to process in my own life what I've just written. 

So tell me:

How can you make changes in your friendships to closer glorify Christ? 

to the lily of my heart

Beautiful is an overused word. It can't even begin to describe all that you are.

The first thing that comes to my mind when people think of you? Well, I asked a few people.

Gets along with everyone.
Sweet.
Funny. 
Kind. 
Gorgeous.
Has an amazing voice. 
Sharer of a love for food. 
Has an uncanny ability to relate to others. 
Makes people feel individually special. 
So many unique interests and special qualities that make her amazing. 
Selfless. 

I don't want this post to be cliche in anyway, so I will try to explain in new words how amazing you are.
I guess I could say that it's too hard to put into words: but if I could it would go something like this:
There is just no combination of 26 letters that can accurately describe who you are and how much you meant to me.

What comes to my mind when I think of you? Well, I'm glad you asked.

Utterly selfless. 
The way that you give of yourself even when I don't deserve it: it is just something I am just in awe of.
The way you connect with others on such a personal level and you just aren't afraid to be real, that is one of the most beautiful things in the world.

The world needs more people like you. You are one of the most selfless, encouraging, beautiful and funny people in the entire world. I am so so incredibly thankful and it blows my mind every time I think of the way God brought us together. 
Sometimes I just cry at night because of the blessing that you are in my life, for all of the beautiful and godly aspects that make you so so amazing.

Seeing God working in your life is just amazing. You are one of the strongest people that I have ever met and I just admire your courageous fight. 

I just don't even know what else to say, because I guess I've realized, that I didn't know I could ever love a friend as much as I love you.
You have taught me what true love and friendship really mean and you make me a better person because of all of the honorable things you display.

Things I will always take away from you?

"Don't worry and give it over to God."
"God is so proud of you for the way you are seeking to please him".

But on a less serious note? You make my laugh and my time spent with you makes me a happier person. I appreciate all of the fun moments we have to look back on: including the awkward ones that we experienced with other people.

Thank you for being purely amazing and awesome...there are so many beautiful characteristics that make you such an indescribable person <3


other posts she has been mentioned in:
my heart yearns, dear them, talk with me, we're making time, these are a few of my favorite things, Being who we are meant to be, Paradise, and Finding Audrey 

benefits of real community

So as I mentioned earlier this week, I was gone at a retreat last weekend, and boy it was crazy awesome.

I had never felt such a strong and close Christian community within our youth group than I did last weekend. 

There are so many benefits to real and raw Christian community that I wanted to share.

The thing is, having true Christian community isn't always an easy thing and every since I've been in youth group, this closeness had not yet occurred until last weekend. The closeness must occur as a result of God opening the hearts of those present and a bonded trust with the other people in the group. Everyone has to be willing to open themselves in a vulnerable way which means that a trust must be created through the people in this community. 

1. Community encourages you to become more like Jesus.

In Hebrews 3 we are called to encourage one another as long as it is called today. One of the best ways to be encouraged is through a community of believers that reflect Christ. Seeing other people seeking to honor Christ with their lives is encouraging in a world where self is put above all else.  

(Hebrews 3:13) 

2. Community reveals your gifts and talents

This weekend as we took the three hour drive home, we went around and initially were going to highlight each of the individual's personal talents. It turned into highlighting the things we admired in each person and it turned into a complimenting fest. Each individual has a place in the body of Christ and it is important to know that you are significant to the community of believers. 

(1 Corinthians 12:12) 

3. Community helps meet our need for love

Even though Christ can only fulfill our deepest need for love, God gives us the gift of loving one another. The brotherly love (phileo) we show to other people is a representation of Christ who was the greatest friend who laid down His life for us. We are called to love one another in this beautiful way to once again be a reflection of Christ.    

(John 11:35-36)

4. Community teaches you forgive and to work through conflicts

 Yes, community is wonderful and full of love, however, this world isn't perfect and we are on a journey to becoming more like Christ. When you are with a mix of different types of people with different personalities who love each other deeply, hurt and misunderstandings are going to occur. Even though this is a hard part of community, it makes us more like Him, which is the ultimate goal in the first place anyways. 

We are called to be an united Body and this concept is not always a natural tendency. This causes us to have to lay down our pride and become humble and it enhances our communication skills. Christ uses the hard elements of situations to teach and grow us. 

(1 Cor. 1:10 and 1 Peter 4:8-11) 

This has been a journey to real community in my youth group, and I've been praying for something like this for nearly four years. I might write more about that in a future blog post since my youth group has been a huge mess of change, with the youth leaders changing, assistants changing and the individuals in the youth group changing. (And by that I mean that a lot of kids moved and new ones started attending our church) It was hard because every time I thought we made progress in becoming closer, we would have an issue with kids respecting the leaders or maybe the leaders being too competitive.
So the fact is, our youth group has come a long way in creating vulnerable, Christian community.



How have you been influenced by Christian community? 

my heart yearns

This picture makes me want to cry.

This weekend, I went on a retreat with my youth group, and my heart is full and broken at the same time.

I've made so many amazing memories that it makes getting back into my plain life hard. 

I'm pretty sure I know what depression feels like, and that is definitely what I am feeling right now.

My heart is broken. 

I have been friends with most of these people for awhile, but we just completely bonded this weekend in a way I didn't even know was possible. There is just so much love for them in my heart, and when you spend 48 straight hours with them and over 6 hours in the car laughing and jamming out to music, it makes going back to real life so hard. 

The hardest part is realizing that you have to live your life and the days until you can see them again. It’s hard to live without them because the best days and the days filled with laughter are spent with them. It isn’t until you have an experience like I had this weekend that you realize how much you love and appreciate the time with them, and then it’s hard to spend time without them.

I guess absence makes the heart fonder, but my heart feels like it cannot grow anymore fond.

It’s part of growing up, I know that. It is realizing your time with the seniors is getting less and less and that their lives are becoming busier and there isn’t as much room for you. 

I tell myself things like this is where what you've learned comes into play. You have to rely on Christ even in the midst of feeling alone in your Christian walk.

But it's so hard. 

I've never met such amazing people before.

Paige- Oh girl, how much love there is in my heart for you. Getting closer to you this weekend was something that I do not want to give up. I cannot wait to get to know you better: I can literally see Jesus' love flowing out of you as you love your life. You are so kind to other people and considerate of other people. You want to please God with your life, even if that means it is hard and you have to give something up. You are so awesome.

Grant- You are just so funny and I totally get your sarcasm. I am going to miss laughing at all of the jokes you made and the fun we had with other people. You are very considerate of other people and you are so easy to talk too. I appreciate the love of Christ that is evident in your life and seeing the way you love your sister is so encouraging to me. 

Jeremy- It's kinda hard to put into words the many things that I respect in you. Your faith is also encouraging to me and the respect you have for others is something I am trying to implement in my own life; along with knowing when to stay quiet and when to speak up. You are also a leader in youth group and I am just so grateful for the way you are true to yourself as an example to other people on how to live for Christ. And, your voice...what the heck. Heaven on earth? I think yes. 

Grace- Oh my goodness, how blessed I am to have my family as some of my best friends. You and I have been friends "since day one outta da womb" and I'm never afraid to tell you anything because I know that you understand, or you at least try to understand. The way you encourage me in my faith and know me so well is something I cherish. I am so grateful for you. 

Ben- Most people just have a relationship with their cousin as "I have to see them with the family gets together", but not with you. I just, wow, I am so encouraged by you. The way you love other people and live out your faith as your own is SO encouraging to me. I appreciate the understanding and consideration you have for other people. I love the way you are a leader in youth group and that you are role model for those behind you. 

Lily-Yeah, I just don't think words can explain how much you mean to me. Everything you say and the advice you give points back to Christ and you are so extremely wise, strong and beautiful. Your friendship is just like pure gold and I am just praying daily that we will be a lifelong friendship. 

When you sing, and when you and Jeremy interact, I just, i cri evri tiem. 

Yes, my heart is broken because never again will we go on a retreat like this weekend was.
Ever.
And it kinda makes my stomach drop.

Yet I am so thankful for it.

what makes a good friend?

Oh friends.

Aren't they just the reason that our lives are both wonderful and chaotic at the same time?

For me, it’s been a journey and God has used the concept of friends and my actual relationships with people to teach me a lot.

Today I want to touch on some of the things that make a good, quality friend. 

A lot of times, our closest friends are those we never expected to come into our life, and they are a beautiful blessing. Just like I know I’ve mentioned many times before, you have to let solid relationships/friendships form naturally. When you push friendships and try to make them more than they really are at the moment, they will not be strong.

I met a girl who goes to my Church who is an incredibly awesome person, and we all joke about everyone needs “a little *insert her name* in their life”.

However I think her influence can sometimes be negative on me. It’s not really her, but it’s more of her view of what is important in life being different than mine so sometimes I tend to start to catch myself thinking that way too. She tends to be more of a worldly influence on me than a one that is pointing me back to Christ and how he wants me to live.

I guess my point in saying that is that setting standards for who you are going to spend the most time with and who you will call your best friend is very important.

They should have some of these characteristics:

1. A friend who will always be there

Don't find a friend who will be there just be there during the fair seasons of life or just when they need something from you. Find friends who are willing to stick by you during the storms of life (and you for them as well).

2. A friend who makes you a better person

 You don't want to be friends with someone whose influence on you is questionable. Your closest friends should be those who know how to make you laugh but also point you back to Christ. Encouraging you, praying for you and really pouring time into you are things your closest friends should be willing to do for you, and you for them.  

3. A friend who is honest and trustworthy 

If there is no trust in a friendship, or if you aren't sure if they're going to keep your secrets, that's not someone you should call your best friend. Going along with that, honesty is so important in realizing that we are all sinners but Christ has set us free from sin. Your best friend shouldn't be someone who pretends to have it all together but is encouraging others because she is going through the same struggles. 

4. A friend who accepts you for who you are

We all have a weird side. Your closest friends should not only embrace you for who you are, but encourage you to be yourself. There are some people who think that being weird is...well, not something you should do. If someone doesn't like you for who you are, they don't need to be your best friend. Ever. 

We should always be striving to become a better friend. We can always improve in loving, putting others needs before our own, and truly listening to someone. We should not only look for these characteristics in who we call our best friends, but we should also be looking to improve these characteristics in ourselves. 

The Truth About Friendship

I've done two other posts on the subject of friendships, and they have gained a lot of interest.

Lessons I've Learned From My Friends and Importance of Friendships have both gained over 100 views each. 

There's so much more to friendship and friends than what is on the surface. 

I'm definitely no expert, but hopefully you will learn something from this post.  

Friendships are complex, and the closer that you grow to someone, the more complicated these relationships seem to get.

1. Friendships are often about the conversation not the commitment. 

When someone seriously cares about their friend, they will be willing to do anything for you.

A story I heard the other day was about a woman who knew that the person her best friend was dating was NOT the guy for her. She prayed about it, and knew she needed to tell her friend this information. She was more concerned about the well-being of her friend, than she was about the friendship lasting forever. She risked the "friendship", because she cared so much about her friend. 

So many people become friends with people just because they want people to talk to, and I'll admit I probably do the same thing. Not every friend I talk to is gonna be someone I would die for...and I think that's okay. But make sure you aren't just making a friend out of "boredom". 

If you truly want to grow close to someone, be willing to be there for them in the long run.

2. The most important characteristic of a friendship is being vulnerable, and keeping secrets.

When you become close to a person, the last thing you would ever do would tell someone their secrets. If a friend doesn't keep your secrets and isn't vulnerable back, then that's not going to be someone you will want to make your best friend. Friendships can't be built and grown if one person doesn't feel comfortable sharing real deep information.

3. People may be different than they appear on the surface.

When you first meet someone, they aren't going to flat out be who they really are. It makes sense. I'm not just going to start being my true self around a group of people I'm not well acquainted with. 

When you get to know someone better, you may realize that they aren't the person you should be spending a lot of time with. Maybe they aren't a bad person, but you may realize that their disrespectfulness rubs off on you, or you don't quite feel safe when you are around them. Whatever the case may be, these might be the friends that you don't grow super close to. Never assume things about people either. 

4. Get advice from wise friends. 

Often we go to a bunch of friends and ask them the same question. Make sure you don't ask 100 friends the same question, just so you can get the answer you want 15 times. What you need might not be what you want to hear. This has happened to me before, and sometimes it's hard to come to the reality that what you want to hear, isn't the truth. That wouldn't be honest of your best friend, and God uses those around us to tell us what we need to hear. 

5. Keep your relationships open to the Lord, and pray over them. 

You never know how God may use certain people in your life, and he changes and grows people in amazing ways. So you never know how someone else may change, or how you may be changed for the better through someone else. 

And ultimately, give them over to the Lord. Sometimes we get so caught up in our friendships that they become idols. The Lord is always going to be our closest friend. 

It's always best to choose a few close friends over many acquaintances! 

Importance of Friendships

Back in January I talked about some of the lessons that I've learned through friendships/specific people in my life, and the ways that God has used those friendships in my life. 

Today I wanted to talk about how important friendships are, and how God created other people for us to interact with because we aren't called to live this life alone!

When you think of life, friendships are some of the biggest things that make up who we are.
Without other people...life would be pretty boring.
There's so many people that we can chose to be friends with, and there's just certain people we bond with easier than others.
Here are the reasons why it is so important to have good, solid friendships. A lot of middle school friendships aren't solid because of the drama and annoying stuff like that which occurs no matter what type of school you go to.
I promise that if you are in middle school, it'll get so much better. In high school, generally people realize that drama is a complete waste of time, and friendships will become more solid.
This is a verse from Proverbs 18 that talks about how having a few super close friends is more important than having a ton of friends that you may or may not be able to rely on.
"A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
Friendships however are so important. In the garden of Eden, the Lord said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him."
Going about our Christian walk alone would not be healthy, nor did God create us to do it alone.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up." 

I'm so thankful for the friendships that God has put into my life. It hasn't always been that way though, and there was a period of time before I started public school where I never thought that I would have a best friend. I would always get jealous when people from public school would talk about how they had "my best friend Susie."
Once I entered middle school, I made three best friends. Two of them I grew apart from by the beginning of high school, and the other one I hardly see anymore because she doesn't go to the same school anymore.
I think God used those friendships as a lesson (I guess that could've gone in the other post;) that the people I call my best friends should be people that will encourage me to be the best person I can be.
Don't "settle" for the first people who will "promise" to be your best friend. God has a plan for the friends he has in your life, and so don't settle for the first fleeting friends. It is really important to be seeking and valuing the friendships that God wants you to have. Sometimes prayer is the only way we can know that, and most of the time we never understand what God is going to do with the friendships that come and go in our lives.
God answered my unsaid prayer and gave me two best friends that I have grown closer to this past year, and who hold me accountable and encourage me to seek the Lord.
However in the times of life when I feel alone, I'm been remembered of the fact that Christ is the friend that will never leave us and is always constant.
John 15 says, "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. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you." 

Tell me about your best friend or the strongest friendships that you have always known you could rely on, or why you think that friendships are so important!

Lessons I've Learned From my Friends

God has used people in my life to teach me greater lessons, and I want to share a few of those with you today. Each friendship that God has placed in you life is there from a reason. Even if the lesson you learned is a negative one, it will help grow you and help you make better choices later on. 

1. Friendships can become idols 

Sometimes trying to achieve a friendship with a person can become an idol in your life. There was a set of about three people, two boys and a girl, that I really wanted to be friends with. That resulted in putting this above God, and even though it really was a healthy thing, I was elevating them. I also thought that I would be completely happy if I had these people as my friends. I realized that NOTHING, not even friendships can take the place of Christ, and how quickly friendships can move to a elevated spot. I'm now friends with them and I am so blessed by them. I'm thankful that God revealed that tendency early on so that I could have so much freedom knowing that my relationship Christ is everything I need and I don't need to be someone I'm not to gain a friendship with them.

2. Be careful with what friends you hang out with all the time 

If you don't balance the time that you spend with non-Christian friends and Christian friends, friends can start to influence you in negative ways. You may think you are strong enough to resist temptations that they may bring up, but you can quickly justify things faster than you ever imagined. Once you justify one thing (even little things), it can lead to forsaking some of your biggest values. This happened to be in 7th grade when some of the friendships that I developed didn't encourage me to make good decisions at all, and I definitely learned a lot of lessons from this one specific relationship. Get out of a really close friendship if you know that when you are around those people, you either 1) feel like you have to prove yourself or 2) start to do things you've never done before anywhere else. Friendships impacts aren't always negative, but you can usually tell when they aren't benefiting you. 

3. Communication is key in friendships 

Miscommunication ruins relationships. Not only is there does this breed misinterpretations, walls can be built up in friendships and what you thought as the strongest relationship ever can fade into nothing. The one thing that I have found that usually leads to miscommunication is talking about serious issues over text message, and also texting late at night. Always try to talk through things with people, even if it is over video chat. This will help keep the communication flowing. There was a period of time where this happened to one of my closest relationships, due to misinterpretations over test about certain subjects. I think God was really at work there because He led me to talk to my friend about it and not go to bed with walls in our relationship one night longer. Communication is key in all relationships, not just romantic ones.   

These are just a few of the things that God has used through my friends to grow me. Friends are so wonderful and really do encourage and grow us in so many ways. They can bring out the best in us, and help us through our worst. Even through all of that, God is the friend that will never leave us. 

John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

Aren't you so thankful that God laid down his life for us, even when we were unworthy and unwilling to give up our lives? 

What are some of the biggest lessons that God has taught you through your friends?