Day Forty-Four

YOUR FRIENDS

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

—ROMANS 12:10 ESV

Remember when I told you in Day 41 about my “family dinners” with my friends? Well, our family dinner crew hadn’t all been together in years, but many of us found each other again last December, around bowls of chili and tables and couches and stories and laughs.

There are more of us than there were seven years ago because of some excellent additions of spouses and children. But it was like we hadn’t missed any time together at all. Conversations lasted for hours, friendships were regrown, and lots of food was consumed. Over the next few days, many of us discussed how much we needed that night. About the longevity of the friendships and the history we had together.

I know I sound like a broken record about this, but you need friends. I need friends. They need you.

You need to be brave and let people get close enough to speak into your life. The gift of community is so sweet, but you have to be brave and let down your defenses to develop those relationships in your life.

You need to be brave and let people get close enough to speak into your life.

Romans 12:10 tells us to outdo one another in showing honor. Love like that will change you. It will change them.

Eating chili with old friends at Christmas was so great. That thing holding us together—whatever kept a bunch of poor, single friends making dinners together on Sunday nights all those years ago—is still there. We’re still us. And I’m a better Annie because of those humans and those dinners. My cup runneth over for sure.

I’m so thankful that they were brave enough to let me into their lives and that I was brave enough to let them into mine.

BE BRAVE: Pick up your phone and call a friend you haven’t seen in a while.