3. The Crew

I feel as though "the crew" is probably one of the most important pieces after having a firm foundation aside from the basics. These are the people who should be the ones in the good times or the bad.
From first hand experience, I always longed to be a part of the activities my church's youth group had planned, but I was never able to go. Either it was too far away or my parents were too tired from work. I felt like I was missing something when I joined everyone for regular Sunday morning worship and distanced from the group. In all honesty, I had very few friends and barely any at church for a couple of years. I sat by myself, and would leave right after class ended. I felt miserable. I was missing something in my life and I found out what.

True Mates

Until I moved up with the college section a couple of weeks ago, this word was another amongst the millions of others. The word simply means, "friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests," but in Christ its meaning goes deeper. Not only are we fellows in faith, but also in life  and what we do outside the physical structure of the church. Fellowship is coming together through faith to guide each other and to be there when our sails are tattered requiring repairs (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Call me naive, but fellowship roots to the core, which can be a hit or miss with friendship. Where had this been all these years?!

The Anchors

These are the people you rather not take on your voyage. To easily identify these individuals, look at the people who you may have lost contact with for good reasons. Maybe they were weighing you down or holding you back from your goals like an anchor. For this friend it might be time to say goodbye or reevaluate your friendship which is not an easy decision (Matthew 5:30). I'll admit, I used to be a people pleaser myself, causing me more stress and problems that weren't necessary. In high school seemed harder to pick and choose friends, but now I'm moving on to college and there will be endless opportunities to meet people and I need to be strong and keep praying that I'll find "the crew" in my search.