It’s a scary thing when we see our sisters in Christ slipping away and doing things they shouldn’t. What do we do? Do we confront them and risk our friendship, or do we let them “do their thing” and try to be there when they need us?
I went to summer camp with my church when I was in junior high and high school. Each year, after a week of prayer, worship, and friendships out in the woods without my phone or any of my school friends, I was completely changed. I would come home and read my Bible every day, delete inappropriate music off of my phone, stop hanging out with the wrong crowd, and change my Twitter bio to say something about how much I loved Jesus.
This usually lasted for the rest of the summer and into the first few months of the school year, until it then faded away. I would become lazy and quit going to youth group, start listening to all the bad music I would hear from my friends, and hang out with friends I knew I shouldn’t be with.
It was easy for me to slip away from God because I was surrounded by people who weren’t trying to get closer to Him.
I wasn’t stealing and I never committed murder, but I was in just as much sin. I disrespected my parents, coveted my friend’s new clothes, and got involved with guys. These traps are so easy to fall right into without even recognizing them. I justified my actions, because I still prayed and loved Jesus, and I still felt Him in my heart. But I had fallen away, and I didn’t have a sister in Christ to pull me back on track!
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Your friends who are struggling with impurity or any kind of sin need your help.
Just recently, I had to confront one of my girlfriends about something that I knew would hurt her and that she would regret later. We hang out regularly to get coffee and catch up, so I invited her to hang out brought it up in the conversation. She listened and was really thankful that I confronted her!
She felt loved, supported and looked out for by me
– that’s what sisterhood is about!
I don’t know if she repented and decided to change her actions, but now she knows that I am here for her, that there is a higher standard for her to pursue, and that she doesn’t have to do it alone! It was scary and intimating to bring it up to her, because it was kind of awkward to talk about and I didn’t know how she would respond. But I know that it was my responsibility as her friend and sister in Christ to make sure she knows that she doesn’t have to go through it alone. We need people around us to support us and keep us on track!
“My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” James 5:19-20
So be brave and bring up those awkward things with your girlfriends who need help! If they don’t thank you now, they will thank you years from now when their lives are better because of you.
Keeping each other accountable is a great way to strengthen and deepen a friendship – someday you may need a friend who will bring those things up with you, too. If you’re like I was and you don’t have a friend to help you, but you know you’re slipping away, I want to encourage you to find someone you trust and tell it all! You will be empowered to change and get back on the right path. If you don’t have anyone to talk to, email us at Pure Design Teen Mag and ask for me directly. We write these blogs and do what we do to help girls like you, and we would love to know and help you face to face!
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Isabel Siegal is 19 years old and lives in Westerville, Ohio. She has a passion for all aspects of wellness – organic veggies, nature adventures, and the pursuit and understanding of truth. Non-fiction books, house plants, trips to Whole Foods, and running at Hoover Reservoir are some of the things she loves to do. She is a true conversationalist, and an ideas girl with a massive love for connecting with people. Right now, the Lord is teaching her to trust Him, and to dream big!
