I really wish I was organized enough to sit down & plan out blog posts. Honestly for the most part I just type whatever random information comes to my mind, usually go on a small rant & then slap on a really terrible ending that isn't really conclusive at all. So if you suffer through these, bless your kind soul.
I spend a decent amount of time by myself. I don't mean that in a 'lock-myself-in-my-room' kind of way. It's just that most weekends I stay home, watching TV while my parents drift in & out of the house accomplishing grown-up things. Honestly, my baby sister has more of a social life than I do. I'm completely okay with this, seeing as how I'm a very lazy person & going out takes at least a small amount of effort.
Some weekends it's a little different. I spent the past two days with some of the most incredible friends I could ask for, & it was definitely a perfect way to spend my time. We played Guitar Hero (which I'm terrible at) & Super Mario Bros (even worse, if that's possible), watched movies & just enjoyed being with each other.
One of my friends stayed longer than the others & we found ourselves in a really deep talk about our faith. So deep that when we realized it was 1:15am, we made plans to meet up today & continue our conversation.
Sitting in the high school parking lot (with the windows down, can we take a moment to appreciate the glorious Texas weather we've been blessed with this weekend?) waiting for her to arrive, I thought about the circumstances of our get together. Most teenagers our age don't say "Hey dude, let's get together tomorrow for pizza & Jesus talk." It is done, but it's a rarity. Although second semester of my junior year was filled with lots of Bibles & Frisbees, which was pretty amazing.
My family has always told me that you become like the people you surround yourself with. I'm pretty sure this is basic knowledge & advice for anyone: Don't hang out with bad people if you don't want to be a bad person. The people I surround myself with are such a blessing & I thank God for putting them all in my life every day.
The big question is, what do you do with the people you have to be around? What about the kid who sits next to you in class, or the girl on your soccer team? What happens when you don't agree with the choices someone else makes, but you have no choice but to be around them?
The biggest place to find answers to all this is, of course, the bible. We're called to love people the way Jesus loved people. In case you weren't aware, this is a really big call. Jesus loved everyone. Like, even the weird kid in class & the friend who texts you twenty times a day & the person yelling at someone in the parking lot. Jesus loves them all.
So, wait. That means.. I have to do the same?
That's a big thing. Luckily, I have a lot of help from the way my friends treat me. Even when I'm having an awful day or I'm just being a huge jerk, they love me through it. In fact, they love me enough to tell me to snap out of it. Who I surround myself with makes a big difference on the way I treat others because I model it after the way they treat me.
Again, I'm so ecstatic about all the bestfriends I have that want to read scripture together or jam to KLOVE in the car or just sit & talk about how amazing Jesus is. Being surrounded by these people is so comforting, but remembering to step out of my comfort zone & love others who don't necessarily love (or even like) me is a challenge. I'm hoping that I can work on that & show people how awesome it is to just love radically, all the time. I'm going to fail miserably at it several times a day, but I'm going to give it my best shot.
I want to be someone you want to surround yourself with.
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