I used to wear only plain white underwear.

Probably more information than you EVER wanted to know about me – but there it is anyway.

I’m a pretty practical girl. I buy my bras at Target, my shoes at WalMart, and most of my wardrobe staples are hand-me-downs from a fashion forward friend.

I never saw the need for anything other than plain, white, cotton underwear. Call me boring, but they’re comfortable and practical. They’re easy to take care of – no special laundering instructions (seriously, who has time for that), and you never have to worry if your purple polka dots are showing through your skirt.

But for my birthday last year, one of my… uhum… much younger friends graciously gifted me with a pink and white striped bag that contained… uhum… some fancier selections. With a twinkle in her eye and a little smirk on her face she said, “I thought you might want to try something a little more sassy.”

Well.

She was right. As I was doing laundry this afternoon, I was smiling as I folded all the new fun, pretty, spunky, colorful underwear that I have purchased this past year. I smiled because a year ago my selection of delicates was very humdrum and plain. I smiled knowing that I have friends that make me have more fun. I smiled because this silly little thing was a small symbol of what good friends bring to your life.

Good friends bring joy and color and variety. They challenge you, push you, and question you. True friends are the ones that tell you to knock it off when you’re being crabby with your kids. They’re the ones who tell you that those jeans you think are AWESOME should probably be retired to the Goodwill pile. They’re the ones who tell you to put away the old High School t-shirt you’ve been wearing to bed, and put on something special just for your husband. They’re the ones who cheer you on as you start a new job and wipe your tears when you fail miserably at it.

I am CERTAIN that the author of Proverbs 27:17 was not thinking of my undergarment situation when he wrote, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” But indeed – a good friend sharpens every part of your humanity.

I have friends who daily push me to mother my children with more grace. I have friends who daily inspire me to serve Jesus  with more devotion. I have friends who daily make me aim higher and love deeper. They refuse to let me stay where I’m at – but faithfully inspire me to be more.

To be more colorful. And adventurous. And sexy. And fun. And many, many, many other wonderfully God-given shades of who He created me to be.

Purple-pink-polka-dotted-lacey-shiny-silky… more.