Friendships That Build You Up

You become like the people you spend time with. Not overnight, but gradually, almost without noticing. Their values start to sound normal to you. Their boundaries start to feel like your own. The way they talk about God — or don't — shapes what you believe is possible.

That doesn't mean you can only have perfect friends. It means you need to be wise about who has the most influence over your heart. Who do you call when something hard happens? Who do you go to when you need advice? Is that person pointing you toward God or away from Him?

Good friendships are the ones you come out of better than you went in. You laugh a lot, yes — but you also grow. You feel loved as you are, but also challenged to become more. That's rare. And it's precious.

Ask God to surround you with friendships that pull you upward. And in the meantime, be that friend for someone else. What you give, you also receive.