And now I am here, a year on, lying awake wondering what the first day of subbing in a school is going to be like. Not that I am expecting any phone calls tomorrow because it's too soon for that.
Anyway, so this summer I took a week of my life and spent it with 32 people, living in a church hall and basically spending 24/7 together. I loved every moment of it. As the week progressed these people became more and more like members of a family to me as we shared laughter, tears, hugs and prayers together. It was great to get up every morning and know that when I went to have my breakfast I would probably be joined by at least 10 other people and know that within 5 minutes I was sure to be laughing at something that was said. Then an hour later we'd all be sharing in a devotional and discussing our thoughts and feelings on things, asking one another for prayer, or just listening to others open up about their faith. It is amazing that God brought us all together, we certainly were a united team with no 'divas' in the mix to feel frustrated or threatened by. We were all in it together, equally, and it was so amazing to know that no matter who you sat beside at lunch, or at any point in the day, that person was guaranteed to get involved in conversation with you. We worshipped God freely with the teenagers each night of On The Edge, we laughed with them and we prayed with them. When someone was feeling down, there was always a word of encouragement. Even when you weren't feeling down, there was guaranteed to still signs of encouragement to be seen. I can't count how many times I was hugged on that team just for no reason but joy.This is what christian friends and church family should be like. Fellowship with one another is one of the most important experiences we have as Christians and simply knowing that when we are together, we are free to share the love and joy that Christ has given us with one another is a truly amazing feeling. We should be constantly encouraging one another, not because we fear the other person is feeling down, but just because we should have this Christ-like quality that calls us to love one another at all times. We should be ready to listen, or to make time to listen and be careful of phrases such as "I'll text you and we'll meet up" that are never then followed up on. Make time for others, got those spare 5 minutes that you think you might just use to play a game on your phone? Use them to text someone you know, or someone you maybe haven't made time for in the past while and simply find out what's happening with them. You never know, your communication may just be what a friend needs at that point.
Still, it is also important to be aware of those friendships that aren't encouraging. 1st Corinthians 15:33 says ' Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” ' and this is certainly something we should watch out for. Think about those you surround yourself with. Do you feel great and energised afterwards? Or do you feel drained? You need to immerse yourself in God's love and feel it around you. Your friends should be the kind of people that can build you up, hold you accountable and love you no matter what. I know that the love of an OTE family that I had for those 8 days of the summer has, and will continue to keep me encouraged in my walk with God. I am thankful that I felt called to do OTE again this year as I know I have made some amazing friends, and deepened existing friendships and have seen the benefits of being encouraged by others and now much ensure that I do the same for my church family, friends and beyond.
