But the path started to get rocky. Jesus squeezed their hands tightly, not letting them fall apart. One girl tried her hardest to pull away, desperate for the smooth, wide path. The other needed to rest; she needed time to think and bandage her wounds. As the rocks dug into their feet, they leaned on the everlasting arms of Jesus, seeking direction and compassion. Soon, they were at wit’s end.

Now, instead of enjoying sleepovers filled with laughter and nail polish, they embarked on many tearful and prayer-filled coffee outings. As He held their hands, Christ was teaching them several things: that Deuteronomy 31:8 will always be true ("He will never leave you nor forsake you") and that friendship is a responsibility.

Once Christ started to redefine friendship for them, things changed drastically. No longer were sleepovers filled with conversations about boys and the latest gossip. Instead, they were spent talking of how the two friends could encourage others traveling on the rocky road and how they could serve in their church. The Lord has worked mightily in their lives, and these sisters in Christ are now walking hand in hand on the sometimes-bumpy path toward the Savior.
The End

Not Just a Story
The two girls from the magical land filled with golden haystacks and mooing cows are real people. In fact, it’s the story of my best friend, Kate and me. Over the past few months, the Lord has taken us down a windy, bumpy path. As Kate and I look back at the rocky times, we see that the Lord was trying to redefine friendship for us. He was trying to show us that friendship is a bond between sisters in Christ. The bond we share in Christ carries a huge responsibility, because we have to be ready to encourage and keep each other accountable at a moment's notice.

As the Lord was working on our hearts, He revealed Proverbs 27:17 to me: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Sharpening each other usually involves confrontation and a lot of love. Over the past several months, the Lord has shown me that those two things, in combination with trusting in His sovereignty, can give us the basis for a beautiful friendship. When the path takes a sharp turn, I cling to His cloak while firmly trusting in His direction.

Writing a New Chapter
The girls with laughter louder than a rooster’s crow are now experiencing life on a different path. The Lord is daily showing Kate and me the different aspects of being a friend and sister in Christ. As He reveals new truths to us, we have to be in prayer daily, seek counsel from others and soak in the Word of God. When Kate tells me that she prayed for me, I feel a skip in my step, which makes me anxious to keep walking down the path. When I meet with older women in the church, they encourage me that the Lord takes us down the rocky paths to draw us closer to Him. Also, stories of friendships in the Bible, like David and Jonathan’s, can set a great example for us to follow. Sisses, I hope that you’re encouraged by our story. The Lord gives us sisters in Christ to walk down the path with us, no matter how rocky it is. Have you found yours?