REVERB10: Friendship

Prompt: How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

Woah. I am torn for this one. I either want to write about C or T. I think I will do both.

C: This friend has completely accepted me for who I am. She's excited, rather than dismayed, about the qualities that make me an odd individual. Well, odd at least in my family's eyes. C has showed me that a Christian bond can be all-encompassing: that the giddy girliness, the petty worries, the significant ideas and dreams, the weighty sins and glory that fight in our spiritual lives -- all of these things have a basis and a home in our friendship and time spent together. She has changed my perspective on the fun of being a Christian. It's no longer a daunting task when I am in fellowship with her, and that's not because her doctrine is lightweight and footloose and fancy free. Rather, she's real about her sin, or just about sin period, and doesn't try to evade, excuse or minimize it. And yet, she makes me feel at ease about being forthcoming and undaunted by it, to realize the true power of confrontation through repentance. This change was a gradual one, one where her company increased my confidence in my faith and my identity in Christ. It has been building and building, with her constant love and care towards me.

T: Now herein lies the sudden burst of change. He has changed me by helping me loosen up and enjoy life more. I really look forward to my evening hours now, whereas last year, I think they were okay, but I was never anywhere near as excited to spend evenings alone, eating an okay dinner alone, watching an episode(s) of Everwood or The Wire or OTH alone. Now I get to enjoy dinner with someone else, which has boosted my quality of life exponentially. He also finds me funny, which has changed my view of myself from one who was primarily only suited for female company, to one who again sees my worth and compatibility in a man's eyes. My perspective of God has changed too, because now I feel very taken care of in physical terms. I see God as a provider of the companionship I enjoy so much, and He has brought me fun and a new sense of belonging that is deep and exhilarating. That is, I feel provided for and loved - as I always have been in Him, but with T, it's far more pronounced. I am re-entering the life I knew, where I was a girl in a predominantly male household. I have the influence and presence of a male in my life again. It's so amazing! What an entirely different type of friendship from the female ones I've grown accustomed to in the past two years.

So I've been changed in that I feel more in my natural element now than I have in the past two years.