My Best Friend Jesus.

     While on the bus thinking about how I could incorporate a friend of mine humorously into a presentation on Creationism vs. Evolution, I began putting things together. I had the idea to dress her up as Jesus and have her walk into the classroom halfway through the presentation to start speaking. Then randomly spurred on by talking with her about stress I reflected upon my interview for Miracle Ranch the previous year and how I told them I thought of Jesus as my best friend. I thought I would elaborate on this a little today.
     Jesus is my best friend now more than ever. Whenever I'm in a stressful situation or at a loss for what to do in certain scenario, I pray. I ask not for Him to make it better, but I ask for Him to make me stronger so that I may get through it myself. I talk to Jesus and ask for advice, I ask Him to show me something I couldn't see with my clouded Earthly perspective. I rely on Him like I would rely on my best friend. I just talk to Him. I talk about pretty much everything; love interests, jobs, weakness, other friends (though I wouldn't consider it gossip...), as well as other things.
     When I told my future/present boss in my interview that I thought about Jesus as my best friend I had very little experience. I wasn't as...deep in my faith as I am now. It was more than likely then that I would forget about Gods grace and just tell myself that I need to work through it myself to make myself stronger. This is a natural reaction for everyone. We believe in God, we love God, but when it comes to real problems we think "how could someone so far away possibly help us?" Unfortunately it's a double edged sword because He is only as far away as we push Him by thinking these things. Next time you pray I want you to try something. Next time you pray, pray aloud. When we pray to ourselves it kind of spins God into this...ghost-like entity that we worship and adore, but we don't really think is there (I'm not saying you don't think God really exists, this is just a really poorly formed metaphor), we don't really think He can help us. But when we pray aloud it's like we're actually talking to someone. I know it may seem a daunting task to some because maybe you're afraid that someone might see you talking to yourself and think you're clinically insane or something, but when God's listening, you won't feel that way.
     Now, this isn't a challenge from someone who thinks their faith is greater, this is a challenge from someone who struggles with the same problems. For the longest time I have been terrified of praying aloud or in front of people. I have had this notion that mine and Jesus' relationship is a personal one that must be kept so. But this is not true. Jesus was and is a living person, we together must learn this. No one will think you're insane if they too believe God to be living. I challenge myself as much as I challenge anyone reading this to begin praying aloud to show that you don't just pray so that you may go to heaven, but that you pray because you KNOW Jesus is right next to you, possibly with His arm around your shoulders, sporting a Tenth Avenue North t-shirt and torn jeans, as a friend nodding along and talking back with you as you share your life with Him.

"Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you."

- 

God, 

Hebrews 13:5