Last night, a few girls from my hall and I decided to have Bible study outside. We brought blankets and our Bibles and sat under a lantern on the front lawn. We were talking about the power of community and how important it is to have close Christ-followers in your life to help encourage you and keep you racing on a straight path toward God.

At some point, one girl in the group suggested we go around and encourage each girl there one at a time. The plan was we would spend time talking about strong qualities we see in each other, what we see they're doing for the Lord, and encourage them to continue following Him and living for Him.

It was incredible.

So many inspiring words were spoken and each woman left feeling cared for and loved. It's amazing to get a glimpse of how others see you and are encouraged by your life every day. You also realize how much you really treasure each individual for who they are.

We each had different things said about us, which shows our uniqueness and how God can use us all individually. We are all part of the body, but we are each different parts, and we all have ways in which God can use us to further His kingdom. Having this time of encouragement really demonstrated that to me.

I highly encourage all of you to look for those types of friends. Friends who will love you, build you up, let you know when you're doing wrong, and who will always encourage you, through the great moments and through the rough times. God created us to have meaningful relationships with people. Look for those relationships and don't let them slip away.