Really all I can say is ... thank you, Lord. Thank you for knowing exactly what I need before I even realize it myself. Thank you for making me better by surrounding me with Your best. Thank you for showing me your love daily through the friendships you've placed in my path. Thank you for loving me enough to bless me with these amazing friends. I couldn't begin to understand what your plan was or is for me but I know that something good is coming from Your placing these amazing people in my life.

What I've come to realize lately is ... these "Church Friends" of mine are simply the friends that God knew I needed in my life to grow me closer to Jesus Christ. These friends of mine may have been found in a church or in the youth group I volunteer with and even in the women's group I'm a part of, but these friends have shown me so much about friendships and life with Jesus at the center of it. So, to my "Church Friends," if you're reading this ... this one's for you.

You have encouraged me from day one.

From the moment you met me, you encouraged me. You encouraged me to keep coming to church. You encouraged me to get to know the other leaders at the youth group I wanted to volunteer with. You encouraged me with love that you didn't even have to show me. You encourage me to remember how much God loves me and how much you love me. You remind me that I deserve a Godly man and that you won't let me settle for anything less. You encourage me to keep pushing myself in my relationship with Christ because you know that I want it as badly as you want it for me. You're the biggest fans in my life. I don't know what I did without my own personal cheerleaders before I met you all.

You love me the way Christ does - without judgement.

I've got this worldly complex that makes me believe that I can't possibly be loved fully because of the things I've done or because of the sins I have yet to commit. But, you all have shown me a love that could only come from Christ. You have shown me that it isn't what I do right that warrants love. You have shown me that it doesn't matter what I do wrong because Jesus Christ saved me and deems me worthy of love. Above all emotions, you all love me and show me what love should truly feel like from people who genuinely care about me.

We really do live life together - the good, the bad, the ugly.

We might not see each other everyday or even have long conversations about deep life topics every evening but we do share with each other what we struggle with, what we're excelling at, and what is honestly just really crappy about out day-to-day lives - poopy diapers and college finals included. We share our deepest secrets and emotions with each other and once the words leave our lips, we know that we're safe with each other. We're there to cry with each other and to laugh at each other. Most of all, we pray hard for each other - in the big moments and the small moments. We do life together and I'm blessed exponentially because of that.

We keep each other accountable.

We keep each other in check, not only with our spiritual walks with Christ but with our day-to-day lives as well. We send each other little tidbits of hope and even send up a prayer for each other when we think about each other. We challenge each other and we sometimes push each other on days we don't feel so great. We live this life together and we hold each other accountable to living the best life we possibly can among all the chaos that life throws at us.

You see, you all aren't just my "Church Friends" or even put simply, just my friends. You all are my life partners, the people I want beside me when I'm afraid or feeling defeated. You all have been my friends from the start and never once have I felt unloved or unwanted. Whether we're spending hours in God's word telling our testimonies of Christ's redeeming love for us or whether we're laughing with each other over coffee at Starbucks, life with you all is far from boring. We may have come to know each other through church or through our women's group ... but trust me, the friendship we share is more than words can even describe. God placed each of you in my life for a reason - big and small and I pray that God continues to bless our lives through each other daily.