Get out of Your Comfort Zone

Imagine the only person you have ever talked to is your best friend outside of your family. That may not be exactly precise for most of us but it is pretty close. In our society we tend to stick to our group of close friends and not talk to anyone else. We might be Facebook friends with hundreds of people but that does not mean we have a meaningful relationship with each one of them. It is amazing how saying hello to one person can really change their day or maybe even their life. Think about the last time you asked someone how they were. You can probably think of many times. Now think about the last time you asked someone how they were, and actually listened and cared about their response. It is probably not that often that you actually want to nor have the time to listen to what people say. Think about what our world would be like if we actually cared about everyone we came across, even if they were strangers. We would be able to get out of our comfort zones by asking the simple question of, how are you, and then actually caring about the response. When you begin to care about other people then yourself the world becomes such a bigger and brighter place. If everything in your life is perfectly organized and you always stay on your comfort zone and never talk to anyone but your closest friends and family, you are usually doing something wrong. God calls us to be light of the world, and to do that we have to talk to non- Christians and go out of our comfort zone.

The only Jesus some People Will See

Did you know that you have a huge influence on every single person you come across! You may think the things you do or words you speak may be inconsequential. But we live in a world where people begin to judge you immediately after meeting you. The first thing people usually notice is your appearance, but more importantly they notice your actions and your words. Lately I have been around a lot of non-Christians. It has been a blessing in many ways but it has also put a lot of pressure on me to imitate Christ in a way that is pleasing to Him. It is so easy to be around non- Christians and try to blend in by following in their wicked ways. Sometimes I feel like the people I come in contact with are trying to test me to see if my actions back up my words. One thing I have realized is that I have to be a follower of Christ and obey His commands especially when I am around non- Christians. It is so easy to follow Christ going to a Christian school because I am around Christians all day. The hard thing is being around people who don't believe in God. God has begun to show me that every action I do and every word I speak reflects Him because I say that I am a Christian. Following Christ is a huge privilege, but like many other privileges it has a lot of responsibility. 1 Corinthians 11:1 says "11 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." Paul was urging the Corinthians to follow Christ just as we should today. Just think, you may be the only kind of Jesus some people may ever see!

The Importance of a Best Friend

Best Friends

 

 

Friends are great to have, but those friends that you call your best friends are so hard to come by. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”  Best friends can be your accountability partner and make sure if you ever fall they will pick you up. God put friends in our lives for a purpose. My good friends, although they are few, have many desirable qualities you would want a friend to have. My friends are always there to alleviate my pain when I am hurt from someone’s words. They are loving, they don’t judge me, and they trust in God. Whenever I am in a situation where I need encouragement, my best friends are always there for me. They are always beside me in times of struggle and sadness.

                Being blessed with such great friends has also come with a responsibility of being a friend to them. Being a friend to anyone is hard. It requires a lot of emotional, physical, and spiritual stress on you. But it also comes with a lot of blessings, like the ability to serve, joy, peace, comfort, and love. Having the responsibility of being a friend has some struggles. In my opinion though it has more ups then downs. In my life I have learned how to be a good friend and how to choose good friends. Friends are the people you are constantly around, so you will most likely become like them. That means you have to choose them wisely.  Loving, although it may be hard, is such an important aspect of life.