Last night, a life long friend (like we go all the way back to elementary school) and I sat sipping iced coffee till Starbucks kicked us out. Unlike most of my time spent at Starbucks, last night did not consist of any textbooks or studying or gossiping about about petty drama.
My friend confided in me that she is struggling with an eating disorder. After reading my story on my blog (click here to read), she said she felt that she could come to me with this. I could not be more honored that she felt this way. Also, I am SO happy she is reaching out for help. I think in any struggle, admitting you need help is the most difficult part.
We spent the night diving straight into the deep end. I told her about my experiences and shared with her things I’ve never told anyone. She also did the same.
After last night, I had a million things I wanted to share on my blog that my friend and I talked about (and there will probably be lots of upcoming posts regarding a variety of topics) but today I just wanted to remind everyone, myself included, that being a good friend is SO important. Friendship is a lot more than matching bracelets, doing fun things, and taking cute pictures. It’s about being there for someone when they need it or late night phone calls or encouraging them at their weakest times.
Lately, I have been feeling very lazy in my faith. I mean like skipping my quiet time, being at church but not being at church, and just not living passionately for Christ. As much as it breaks my heart that my friend is struggling with this, I see how God is using this situation for both of us. This has reignited my fire for Christ. I hope that talking about my experiences, mistakes, and lessons learned had a positive impact on my friend. I know it definitely encouraged me to stay focused on what is important.
It truly is amazing how God puts each moment in each of our lives for a reason. It’s so easy to get caught up in “why is this happening to me” and lose sight of the big picture. Sometimes I question God as to why he would have allowed me to treat myself so poorly or I hesitate to blog and share so opening about my life, but without these things, moments like last night wouldn't have happened.
I’m quickly learning that in life being honest and genuine go a long way. Not only does it allow you to be yourself, but it also encourages and can help those around you. I’ve learned that being an open-book doesn’t make you vulnerable, it makes you available. God wrote a story specially for you and how selfish is it to live out that story without sharing it with anyone. Even at a young age, we’ve all learned something and I don’t mean something like the fact that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Each of us have lived for some length of time and during those days, months, and years, we have had unique experiences, adventures, struggles, and joys.
Let’s focus less on ourselves and make ourselves available to others. Lets live a life that has a positive impact on people. Let’s be that friend someone can always lean to. Let’s be honest. Let’s be genuine.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Unfortunately, I cannot grab coffee with each of my followers (mostly because that would be a lot plane tickets and I would pass out from a caffeine high), but if you would like to share anything with me, feel free to email me at monogrammedmadison@gmail.com and if you don’t already, follow me on Instagram to keep up with more of my adventures, @MonogrammedMadison.
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