Y’all. College is a place of so much growth and so much discovery. But it can also be a place of withering and discomfort. However, if you embrace the struggle in the right way, it will push you to Jesus and to new people and to exciting adventures that you never thought you would embark on.

I am loving this stage of life. Through the good times and the bad times, through the “just chillin” weeks and the “I have four papers due,” and through the “y’all are annoying” to “y’all are my best friends”, college is FANTASTIC. And God is teaching me SO MUCH and He has given me more than I could ever imagine. Like WOW. But the thing I am most thankful for right now are the Life Giving Friendships. And by life-giving friendships, I mean friends that push you to the ONLY being who grants eternal LIFE. That’s right you guessed it: our King and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Like I said before, college is challenging! But do you know how to handle the challenge?

I didn’t, for a long time. I had to learn through a few #fails and #disappointments that the only satisfaction and contentment I could receive is from God. I have learned that the ONLY way through the trials and the hardships, the only form of hope in this broken world, is through a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

But wait, what does this have to do with life-giving friendships? Well, it has everything to do with it!!

1 Corinthians 15:33 says “Bad company corrupts good character.” A more common way you’ve heard it said is “you are who you hang out with” or maybe even “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”

Friends are SO important in college. You are in a new phase of life, away from all the comforts of home and the expectations of parents. You are finally able to make decisions for yourself!!! However, even if you think you are making up your mind for yourself, there are always outside influences in your decisions. And those influences are more than likely the people you hang out with. So I encourage you to seek healthy friendships.

But what does a healthy friendship look like? How do I find those life-giving friends?

1. Find friends that embrace you in the awkward. That’s right. I’m awkward, you’re awkward but I accept you for your awkwardness.
2. Find friends that love you in the good, the bad and the ugly, simply because they know your heart and your God. They love you for you and not for who you pretend to be. They have seen your true colors and everything in-between and choose to love you despite your flaws. They love you because you are made in the image of God and do your best to display Him.
3. Find friends that will stay up for hours with you just talking about the goodness of the Gospel and our Savior. Deep talks are the way to go because authenticity and truth are almost always the conclusion. And talking about Jesus makes you more excited to learn about Him and grow in Him.
4. Find friends that hold you accountable: in school, in athletics, in life, and in your walk with Jesus. And that means they hold you accountable even when you don’t necessarily want them to. They push you to be better, even if it frustrates you because they want the best for you.
5. Find friends that encourage you to befriend Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, FIRST. The best friends you can have are the ones that won’t hinder your relationship with Jesus. They will push you to Him instead of distracting you from Him.
6. Never forget that even the life-giving friendships have flaws!!! No one is perfect, not even one (Romans 3:10), so do not expect perfection because you will only be disappointed. Instead, take the advice of that friend and look to Jesus for your joy, because he always satisfies.

These are the life-giving friendships you should seek after, and pray for God to reveal. They are hard to find, but easy to grab ahold of. And once you’ve got them, you better give a shoutout to Jesus for putting them in your life and remember that He put them there to ultimately bring you back to Him. Everything you do in this life should be to glorify God, proclaim His name, and to know Him more, and that is true even in your friendships.

Hope this is somewhat insightful, but also just a shoutout to my people!!!

Thanking the Ultimate Life-Giver today for blessing me with some Life-Giving Friendships and I hope you are too.

-Megs