friends — Daily Devotion — Kristen Alexis Cave

Lately I’ve been trying to go on a walk every single day in an attempt to get my steps in. Working a desk job from home doesn’t exaclty require a lot of movement. So the daily walks help me be a little more active. Now, if you don’t already know this, I live in Northern Kentucky. And when I say northern, I mean it. We are only about 20 minutes from the Ohio state line, so we’re at the tip top of the state. And in the past two years of moving here I’ve learned the weather can be very fickle, which has made my daily walks quite interesting.

Kristen CaveJuly 10, 2024friendships, friendship, friends, boundaries, sin, freedom, following Jesus, church, communityComment

How To Celebrate The Success Of Others

I read a quote on Instagram today that said, “Supporting another’s success won’t ever dampen yours.” Reading that statement stopped me in my tracks because that’s not the way we live by default as humans. And that makes me sad because I wish that weren’t the case. I wish we celebrated others more than we compared ourselves to others.

Kristen CaveMay 23, 2024support, encouragement, friendship, friends, relationships, jealousy, success, celebrateComment

Who Are You Surrounded By?

There’s a famous quote that reads, “You become like the five people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.” I truly believe that’s one of the greatest pieces of advice we can follow, because it affirms what Proverbs 13:20 tells us. If we want to be wise, we must surround ourself with wise people. But if we hang out with foolish people, we will reap the negative consequences of their influence.

Kristen CaveMarch 1, 2024friendship, friends, influence, wisdom, wiseComment

Check On Your People

A while back, I wrote and published a devotion called Encouragement For The One Who’s Stressed Out. The day the post went live, I received quite a few messages from people saying things like, “I needed this today Kristen!” or “Thanks for sharing - it’s been a stressful day here.” While I always love getting messages like this and knowing that God is working through these devotions to help and encourage other people, those weren’t the only kinds of messages I got that afternoon.

Kristen CaveDecember 6, 2023stress, overwhelm, help, friends, family, community, encouragement, listening, burdenComment

The Difference Between Friends And Community

What does your community look like right now? I’m not just talking about your friends. Most of us can say we have friends that we text throughout the week and hang out with in our spare time. But there’s a difference between friends and community.

Kristen CaveOctober 2, 2023friends, friendship, community, vulnerability, honesty, small group, fearComment

Why You Need Christian Friends

My friend Johnna sent me a text this morning, and at the bottom of the message, she wrote, “Thanks for doing life with me, friend. The good, the bad, the hard, the fun, all of it.” It was such a simple statement, but it was also a beautiful summation of what it’s like to live in Christian community. It’s not always pretty and it’s not always easy, but boy is it all worth it.

Kristen CaveJune 22, 2023community, friendship, friends, Holy SpiritComment

Be Available For Those You Love

About halfway through the day, it all got to be a little too much for me. I was sad, angry, overwhelmed - basically I was a wreck. And so I texted my best friend Melanie and said, “Hey I know this is probably horrible timing, but is there any way I could call you?” It didn’t take her long to respond, and when she did, her words were, “Absolutely! TJ (her son) is eating lunch but I can listen so just call me whenever!”

Kristen CaveOctober 19, 2022relationships, comfort, encouragement, availability, showing up, faithfulness, friendship, friendsComment

Take The Time To Say Thank You

Something I think we can all practice more of is gratitude. It’s easy to ask for things we want, talk about things we’re looking forward to, and even complain about what we wish was different about our lives. But being thankful is something we can all continue to work on.

Kristen CaveMarch 3, 2022encouragement, words, gratitude, thankful, thankfulness, grateful, impact, influence, friendship, family, friends, relationships, communityComment

Be Available For Those You Love

About halfway through the day, it all got to be a little too much for me. I was sad, angry, overwhelmed - basically I was a wreck. And so I texted my best friend Melanie and said, “Hey I know this is probably horrible timing, but is there any way I could call you?” It didn’t take her long to respond, and when she did, her words were, “Absolutely! TJ (her son) is eating lunch but I can listen so just call me whenever!”

Kristen CaveDecember 15, 2021relationships, comfort, encouragement, availability, showing up, faithfulness, friendship, friendsComment

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