Brothers and Sisters

Relationships in general have just been on my mind lately. Girls and guys alike. I've really grown to truly appreciate the friendships I have with girls. They are so much fun, and have just loved on me through so many circumstances. God has really blessed me just over the past two years with girl friends that are strong in the faith and are striving towards being more like Christ. They've been my sisters, listening to me talk about anything and everything, giving me hugs all the time, and sending me texts that just brighten my day. They are such blessings and I am so thankful to have them.

Then there are the guys.

Guys can be wonderful friends. The ones I know have great senses of humor, enough patience to teach me how to throw a football (a hopeless endeavor at times, I know) and willingness to help me in things like debate or math. They're pretty great, don't get me wrong.  I was talking to one of my best friends a couple of weeks ago, and I was telling her how my brother thinks it's hilarious how comfortable I am when I talk about my friends that are guys. She looked at me and said, "Aren't you so thankful for those guy friends?" I said yes. She replied, "I'm really happy you have them, and sometimes I wish I was as comfortable as you are. But you know, God has really been teaching me that girl friends are what I need right now. They really are the best." I smiled and gave her a hug. "I wholeheartedly agree." Girl friends are a wonderful thing to have. And guys, this all applies to you too. All of your 'bros' or whatever you call them, are gifts from God. They are your brothers and while girls are good friends to have, your 'bros' are what you need right now.

I have no interest in dating or even letting the world know if I like someone right now. It's just not worth it. Now, I know there are so many people writing on this topic, about staying pure, guarding your heart, and all that good stuff. And I agree that you should strive to stay pure and guard your heart. There are some really good blog posts, articles, and thoughts on these topics out there. But there's something else I've been thinking about too. My guy friends aren't just my friends. They are my brothers in Christ.

I usually don't like it when someone refers to a guy as their 'brother.' Yes, I agree that some things about him may make him similar to a brotherly figure, but girls, he's not your brother. He's still a 'possibility' as my momma puts it. There is still a chance of you dating or even marrying him even if it seems utterly absurd right now. With your actual brother, there's not even a slight chance of you dating or marrying him. But guess what? With those guy friends, you have Christ in common. You are a brother and sister in Christ. And that relationship trumps every relationship you will ever have with him. If you end up going out or getting married or even just staying friends, you will always be a brother and sister in Christ. That's such a cool thought isn't it? In a sense, he is your brother. As a guy following Christ, he will strive to treat you like his sister. Protect you and love you like his sister. Respect you by guarding your heart as well as his. And guys? It's the same again for y'all too. As your sisters, we will strive to respect you and honor you. We will do our best to love you like family and  guard your heart as well as ours. I love that thought.We're all in this struggle together. And because we're brothers and sisters in Christ, we treat each other like family, no matter where life takes us.