After CampSample

Think about the friends you have in your life. Chances are, your friends are people who not only like you, but are also there FOR you whenever you need someone to talk to—or even when you just need someone to listen. It’s always encouraging to know, that no matter what, you have someone who is on your side. 

And believe it or not, it’s no different when we think about our relationship with God. It can be tough to try to go through life thinking and believing that you have to do it all alone. That’s why God wants us to surround ourselves with people who can be a support whenever we run into situations where we need some help. In other words, He wants you to be a part of a community of friends that supports one another.  

Today, try to think of a few people that you KNOW are going to be there for you when you need some help. They might be people who were at the camp or retreat with you, They might be people from your small group at church. Or maybe for you those people are friends at school or teammates on your sports team. Whoever those people are, make sure they’re friends who are close enough that they’d be willing help you stay accountable to the plan you’ve made. Then . . . and this is the hard part . . . reach out to them. Tell them about your retreat experience and ask them if they’d be willing to help you live out the takeaways you wrote down a few days ago.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you only hang out with these friends and leave everybody else you know behind. But once you find your people, these should be the friends that you can depend on when life throws you a curveball you may not have been ready for. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that just like iron sharpens iron, we can “sharpen” one another and help each other when times get tough. 

Make a pact to text each other once a week, or create a group chat and text encouragement to each other when you know someone is having a rough time. And even though you asked them to help you stay accountable to your plan, be prepared to be just as much of a support for them as well! After all, everyone needs someone at some point in their life.

Now’s the time. Go find your people!