In 2020, Emily & I were paired up to lead a group of junior high girls. We weren’t friends prior & our initial group met virtually, but partnership came naturally to us. We knew how to fill each other’s gaps, how to hand things off, & how to present our message in a digestible way. We both had mutual passions for youth ministry, we shared some common interests, & we admired one another dearly. However, our primary commonality was our love of the Triune God & our common worldview, a biblical worldview. We were committed to elevating God’s opinion above all others because of its definitive truth (2 Pe 1:20-21) & to submitting to it by allowing the Bible to be the lens through which we saw the world. We knew the Bible as authoritative in our everyday lives & that we wanted to submit to God on His terms, not our own (2 Tim 3:16). We longed to apply our biblical studies to our relationship with God & others (Matt 22:37-39). All of these became the foundation of our friendship. We came to love & appreciate each other more as we dove deeper into one another’s stories & testimonies, each layer revealing more of God’s intentionality in bringing us together.
Friendship based on the things of this world will never satisfy, just like the things themselves. If everything in this world is fleeting, how can we build anything on it—especially relationships? Everything will pass away, but the Word of God will never pass away (Matt 24:35). Friendships rooted in Christ will never dry up but will always reproduce because He is the only thing that brings forth Living Water (John 4).
For years my mom prayed that God would bless me with a friend that would sharpen me like iron sharpens iron (Prov 27:17). He did that & so much more.
Emily radiates the love, joy, compassion, & forgiveness of Jesus in her everyday life. Ems is my battle buddy in this spiritual war (Acts 2:42). Emily is virtuous, moral, & upright; she keeps me on the path of righteousness & helps me up when I stumble (Ecc 4:10). I will forever praise the Lord for this beauty, this gem. Ems, you are heaven-sent, my co-lead match made in heaven. I love you & happy birthday!
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