Dear Mack, Jonathan, Zach, and Ethan,
You men changed my life. And I want you all to know how eternally grateful I am.
You see, I wasn’t all that sure about you four at the beginning. Actually, I wasn’t that sure about you even up until month 5. It wasn’t like you personally had given me a reason to be uneasy. I have just always feared men. I have feared their commanding presence and their strong demeanor. It has never been easy for me to trust them. And because I knew I’d be around you four a lot for the next year, I projected that fear onto you. I was a little more than nervous to be living in community with you. I knew I wouldn’t be able to feel comfortable with you, I knew I wouldn’t be able to open up. I knew I would probably want to avoid you guys as best I could. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to form deep friendships with you.
So I walked into community with you all, knowing all those things and believing them. I walked in scared of you all.
But to my dismay, something different happened. After a little time with you, I started to feel comfortable, I started to open up, I didn’t avoid you, I started to form deep friendships with you, all of you. And I remember thinking, that’s weird. This has never really happened before. All my fears about you, all my insecurities about being vulnerable in front of you completely vanished. And you know why? Because I saw your heart for Christ. I saw you chasing after Him. I saw you seeking growth. I saw you fighting physical, emotional, and spiritual battles with humility, grace, and joy. You guys were being transformed by the Holy Spirit, and I wanted that too. You all were becoming like Jesus, so I couldn’t deny my desire to be around you anymore. Being closer to you brought me closer to Him, and I loved that. I wanted to pursue Christ like you did. All the gifts the Lord had given you, I wanted to glean from. I realized that there were so many things the Lord wanted me to learn from you.
All this to say, how the four of you lived your lives this year gave me a new perspective on men. Your quest for Christ made me see that I didn’t have to fear men anymore. I realized that the Lord brought the four of you in my life to show me that I can trust them. That there can exist deep friendships with them. That I can be comfortable around them. I don’t have to be scared anymore. Like I said, you men have changed my life.
So thank you. Thank you for desiring more of Jesus. Thank you for being Godly men. Thank you for living your life in His will and not in your own. Thanks for opening up to me so that it would be easier for me to open up to you. Thanks for giving me grace when I mess up and for giving yourself grace when you mess up. Thanks for caring for me like your own sister. Thanks for being bold in your knowledge and wisdom of God. Thanks for leading our squad with vulnerability and confidence. Thanks for teaching me and all the other girls on our squad never to settle. I pray that my husband will have the same fire for Christ as you. The same drive to serve Him. The same boldness to proclaim His truth. And I pray that for all your wives too. What blessed women they will be to have you.
I love you boys a lot. You will forever be brothers to me.
Your sister,
Chels
P.S. Don’t get a big head. You know who you are.
