Friday, April 1, 2011

Core Five

I can't exactly figure out why I am feeling so sentimental this afternnoon, but I feel called to share how incredibly blessed I am by the friendships in my life.  This might be a little cheesy so I apologize.  I'm not normally this gushing over in emotions...except for during Disney animated films, but that's not what this blog is about.

I've been fortunate enough to have the same core group of friends for the past nine years or so.  I met this wonderful group of girls when I started attending my middle school youth group and our group grew once we reached high school.  I think what made this group so unique is that very few of us went to the same school, but we still remained close throughout all of those years.  And even now we are sprinkled across California and even across continents, but I still consider them my closest confidants and influences over my life.  I heard it said one that you are the average of the five people you hang out with.  It really makes you think twice about who you are asssociating with.  Not only are you the average of those people, but it's important to realize that outsiders will perceive you this way as well.  I look at these girls and I am so grateful that they are the women I have become an average of.  We have all grown up together.  Grown up in every sense of the word: physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  If everything about my character is an average of these girls, I am especially grateful for their faith.  These girls challenge me, inspire me, and hold me accountable.  I feel so blessed to be a part of this intimate little community we have created.

I realize how much I have in these girls when I compare this lifestyle to my sister's.  I'm not sure if it is just happenstance or the drastic differences in our personalities, but my sister though she has always had a multitude of friends, has always lacked a close intimate group of best friends (or just the singular version of that).  Growing up, it seemed that every summer or school year she would be hanging out with a different group of friends.  I could hardly keep track of it because as soon as one girls face and name would become familiar to me she would be replaced with another a few months later.  When I was in middle school, at the beginning of my relationship with Sarah, Tarrah, and Marissa, I remember my sister just being in adoration of me and my friends.  I think what impressed my sister the most was that these same girls would be coming in and out of our house year after year.  And despite my sister and I growing apart as we entered high school and middle school respectively, I could always tell that she somewhat envied my consistent relationship with these girls.  She eventually became too cool to want to hang out with us, and she shut herself away from me and my parents.  Even though she became incredibly difficult to get along with I could always sense this distant sense of desire to have friends like mine.  Alli is still a little bit difficult to get along with, but I think the distance of me moving out has made it easier for me to connect with her.  It's definitely a relationship in my life that is not perfect and I definitely need to be more intentional with her, but I can see the beginnings of her chipping away her hard outer shell.  I think it touches her to see that even though I live 400 miles away, every time I come home those same girls she looked at with adoring eight year old eyes are still present in my life.  I long to be an example of community, accountability, and love in my sister's life, but if nothing else this makes me so incredibly grateful for the wonderful relationships in my life. 

I am just so impressed by these women in my life.  Two of us are devoting our lives to ministry, one of us is going to be a pilot, one of us is studying abroad to be a teacher, and one of us has a heart for the physically dehabilitated and is studying to help out with that.  But most impressive of all is their inspiring walks with Jesus.  These girls are my inspirations of faith.  We can spend hours in deep and meaningful conversation or hours throwing around ridiculous meaningless inside jokes.  We drive by this hill in Loomis all the time when I'm back home and we have this joke  that we are all going to buy the five houses in a row on top.  Our "plan" is to knock out the fences and have a giant Midwestern style backyard between us.  Natually babysitting roations would be set up among us etc.  My mom overheard part of this conversation and sounding concerned, asked me if we were starting a commune.  So yes.  We are starting a commune in Loomis. 

All joking aside, I just can't even express how grateful I am for these girls.  I am also expecially excited as I begin connecting with the Life Groups in the high school group.  I desire so much to encourage younger girls to go after these sorts of friendships with other girls.  I hope I can mirror the example of my own friends in their lives.  I am so grateful for my wonderful core five.  I am so blessed to be considered the average of such an impressive group of ladies.

9 comments:

  1. First of all, Bri you never need to apologize for being 'gushy.' I love seeing that side of you ;) Anyways, I think it is so awesome that you have this community. You are so blessed to have this and it is great that you appreciate it and share that with us. Community is so important and I'm excited for you to have that. This type of community is something I crave and believe is starting to form in my life now. It is so encouraging to hear how long you all have been friends and still stay connected even though you are all spread out and in different parts of your life. :)

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  2. Bri, this is so great. I was seriously brought so much joy upon reading this. I personally don't have a core group of girls like that, but have SO desired that for many years because I recognize the huge importance of it. I was just reading Dannah's post that was essentially about community and so its really great to read all about the value of friendships and our job as Christ followers, the body of Christ, to live in communion and to be united in love. You are very blessed!

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  3. Awesome. I have a group of girls like that. Just kidding, I have a group of guys from high school that I'm close with, and though they are scattered in different places around the world, they are some of my closest friends, even if I don't keep in touch with them all that much.

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  4. Awesome! You are so lucky to have that! I have one best friend from HS and I am so grateful to have her in my life. God has truly blessed you with your amazing friends. Thanks for letting us into your life!

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  5. I am so happy for you. Truly. This is rare so definitely be so happy to have it! It helped the relationship have with me brother when he moved out of state too! Maybe encourage your sister with her friends, but be aware of not trying to get her to have friends just like yours. That's what's hard about being siblings: you can be so similar yet soooo different and that's great because that's how God moves in different people's lives. : ) I'm not sure if I'm making sense but I am so happy you have these girls in your life and SHOOT. start a compound for SURE. haha I really like that your mom was concerned. : )

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  6. i'm so glad that you have been blessed with such solid friends that are committed to pointing you to Jesus. it is obvious this relationship has taught you how to point others to Jesus. thank you for pointing me to Him this week.

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  7. Amen X 1000. Community/Friendship/Fellowship is so important. When we look at the ministry of Jesus, it is drenched in friendships and close relationships. I also have a solid group of about 7 guys whom I call my closest friends. I don't even know if "friend" can be the right word used. They literally are my brothers. I got chills when you said the part about being the average of your friends...To be called the average of my closest friends would be the greatest compliment of all time. They bring me closer to the Jesus each time I am with them. My time with them individually and collectively is priceless and I feel SOOO blessed that God has put them in my life. I feel so blessed because I used to have friends that I thought were my brothers but in reality, our friendships were extremely shallow and not rooted in Christ whatsoever. This is special Bri and I'm so glad I can relate. I wish everyone could experience the Joy and Love that true Christ centered friendships brings.

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  8. As someone that has had many different cores of friends, I think I can relate to your sister. I have been jealous of people like you that have those friends that no matter what will always be there for one another. Whether you guys live on the complete opposite side of the world, there still is that ability of connection between you guys and thats awesome :) So keep it up! Great story to hear by the way. Encouraging, especially in how great relationships can be. Something I see Circles becoming more and more.

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