I went out of town this weekend, so I apologize for the delay and the rush of blogs that will be coming to make up for a few days of camping. However, I will try and make it worth it because I was able to spend some time with some pretty incredible people this weekend, so get ready.
First, I’ve debated on writing up blogs about friends because I’m not really meeting someone new and also, I’m sure to miss a few. However, I was thinking about it, and who are the hardest people sometimes to talk to about faith and the incredible work that God is doing in your life? For some of us, it’s our friends because they’ve been there through everything and they know the “real you”. Often times, my friends are the last ones I talk to about some of the things in my life, because they’re the people that I spend the most time with, so at times I feel like they should just know. My thoughts were a little transformed this weekend as I hung out with the guy that I will call my best friend.
Stephen has been around my life since middle schoolish. So he’s been through pretty much everything with me and has been right by my side through it all. One huge problem I have because of my constant transition is the fact that I often have seasonal friends that come in and out of my life. Stephen is not one of those. He’s one of those friends that I can’t exaggerate around with my stories, because he’s in most of them and I love that (he doesn’t call me out every time though… true friend). However, when I look at my friendship with Stephen, I think of so many incredible times that we’ve had and the ridiculous memories that we have, but God has been teaching me a lot about brotherhood that I’ve been missing with him. It’s not just about the time and the memories, it’s about pouring into each other and dragging things out.
My first night in Nashville, I just sat up with him and walked through the last year (because it’s been that long since we’ve hung out). There were a lot of things that I didn’t really want to talk through, but I did. Then he took his turn and talked through some things I’m sure didn’t fit in a “comfortable friendship”. As the weekend progressed, so did our conversations. I saw this friendship with one of my longest running friends begin to progress even more in just one short weekend.
One thing that I learned from Stephen this weekend is to move out of the comfortable friend zone. We’re called to be there for each other and celebrate and truly know each other. The more people I let in, no matter how uncomfortable it feels, the more comfortable I begin to feel about myself because I don’t have to put on a show anymore. It’s just unsettling to think that sometimes we play a role with even our closest friends because they don’t really know us. Stephen is my closest friend not just because he’s been around so long, but because he knows me…
