Growing up, I met these two friends in Sunday school. We were just “hi bye friends” in church and were not close.

But at a church retreat in 2015, the three of us reconnected as roommates. Despite our lack of closeness, we hit it off right away.

We shared what was on our hearts and prayed for each other. By the end of the retreat, we had become close friends. They became friends that I could trust, and with them I could just be myself without putting up a facade.

In 2018, I entered a season of my life where I felt distant from God. I did not enjoy going to church because I felt like I was not worthy enough.

Every Friday night, I would face the same dilemma – my mind telling me that I did not deserve to set foot in such a place, and my heart telling me to go and try to open up my heart again to God.

My attendance was irregular, and my two friends became increasingly worried about me as I struggled.

While they did not explicitly tell me about their worries, I could tell they genuinely cared for me. I later found out that they had been praying for me unceasingly.

I found a lot of comfort when my friends loved me with their presence. They would also avail themselves to be there to listen and talk to me during dark times.

Through my experience, I found that a powerful way for someone to walk alongside their friends is to love them through their love language. Mine are physical touch and words of affirmation. 

As my friends gave me physical comfort, God provided me with spiritual comfort and healing.

Last December, something devastating happened in my family. As I was at a church camp then, my friends immediately came to my side without me having to say anything. They just stayed with me and comforted me with their presence.

They held me close and prayed for me. As we prayed together, they wiped away my tears gently.

My heart raced with negative thoughts as I wondered: “What’s going to happen to my family?” But these friends provided the ministry of presence that I needed in that moment.

Psalms 56:8 writes: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

As my friends gave me physical comfort, God provided me with the spiritual comfort and healing I needed.

Godly friendships are so precious.

It is important that as we build friendships, we journey together and build each other up in faith. Being vulnerable with one another helps us to keep each other accountable.

As we keep each other accountable, we can also make sure that our friends are pursuing the right things in life. If we find that our friends are drifting away from God, we’d then be able to reach out and help them. 

God has blessed me greatly with my two best friends, Brillionne and Crystal.

Both of them have really helped me to grow in my faith. I’m thankful for these two friends for always pointing me back to God and for praying for me. I thank God that He has placed both of them in my life.

May we be shining lights for Him and glorify Him forever.