If you’re reading these words, you’re reading my first post for the Focus Press Blog. I hope you can join me every other week as I talk about my faith and what’s been on my mind as I’m walking the road that Christ has set for me!

I’ve been a baptized believer since January 12, 2006, but it had been awhile since I had really looked back on how I’ve learned to be a woman of faith over the years. Granted, I’m just 23 years old, so I still have a long way to go, but God has led me through amazing places I never thought possible, and He has taught me many lessons I didn’t expect to learn at my age. In this post, I want to share some of those lessons that I’ve learned with you.

1. I’ve learned that hospitality is one of the greatest gifts you can give to a person.

Over the years, I’ve learned the art of preparing a home for company. I have my wonderful mother to thank for that, and I look forward to passing this lesson on to my future children someday. Romans 12:13 is explicitly in line with this idea: “Share the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” In addition, I’ve also learned that giving your time to share with others – whether that’s family, friends, or people who need comfort – is just as important as opening a home up for guests. In fact, it’s an idea that should be placed above just preparing for company: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). On that note, I’ve also learned how to be a “Martha” and a “Mary” in various situations in life. Stepping up and serving is of paramount importance, but so is learning and being encouraged by the examples of and lessons from others, especially my fellow sisters in Christ.

2. I’ve learned that the company of fellow sisters in Christ is invaluable.

I decided to transfer universities when I was a sophomore in college because, even though I attended a Christian institution, I had a hard time finding female friends to attend church with me. At the Christian university I switched to, I found those female friends, and they are now my best friends for life. Proverbs 18:24 says that “One who has unreliable friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” I am proud to say that I have found some of those friends through college. However, that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped reaching out and making friends with fellow sisters in Christ. It’s amazing to meet ladies of like-minded faith – younger, my own age, or older – no matter what stage of life I’m in.

3. I’ve learned that mentorship is also invaluable, and it reaches farther than the eye can see at the present moment.

I never knew how much I served as an example to the younger girls in my congregation until I came home from college. The hugs they give and the thoughts they share with me are so precious, and it’s an absolute honor to help them on their Christian walks in any way I possibly can. I feel like this is in line with what I’ve learned from reading Titus 1:3-5: “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.“

4. I’ve learned that something as simple as sharing my favorite verse can be paramount to helping someone on their walk with Christ.

I discovered the importance of sharing scripture, but I had no idea of the impact of sharing scripture. Just posting a verse on Twitter can “go viral” faster than you can say hashtag, and that blows my mind. Just think what would happen if everyone who had a Twitter or Facebook account shared their favorite Bible verse at least once a week, if not once a day? Or if they texted their favorite Bible verse to a friend or loved one? The impact can be a lot bigger than we realize, and the reach can also be farther than we imagine. The fact that it has such a strong impact encourages me to share it even more. It’s is a snowball effect established by Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 I can strive to achieve that has great consequences.

5. I’ve learned that every member in my family in Christ are all treasures, and that if we all lean on God and His promises, we can walk hand-in-hand to achieve His purpose for our lives.

I love my home congregation; I was baptized there, I have served there, and I have friends and family who attend there. However, there’s something to be said about going away to college, attending the churches of Christ in your college town, and then coming back to your church home. I only went to college two and a half hours away, and I did come home on a lot of weekends, but once I graduated and fully settled back home, I discovered the joy in really getting to know my church family. It makes me happy to catch up with fellow church members on a regular basis. I think Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 sums up my feelings about church fellowship: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

By Savannah Cottrell