This last month or so has been a roller coaster for me; I’m not going to sugar coat it. It just is what it is.

Between studying for exams, projects, homework, figuring out careers and working two part-time jobs, I’m pretty tired. The rare days when I don’t have something to do, I typically want to stay in and binge watch Netflix or Hulu. It’s easy to fall into that pattern every time you get home.

Believe me, I know.

But, how often have you honestly felt fulfilled or more rested after watching 6 hours of the same show? After Netflix has repeatedly asked you, “Are you still watching?”

This past week, I’ve felt more energetic and fulfilled. And no, Netflix has nothing to do with it.

The reason for it?

My friends. And not just any friends, either. These are friends that are deeply rooted in God’s word and His love. They are people I can talk to about anything in the world and I know they’ll stand by me in every trial.

These friends are not just intelligent, they are wise. They immerse themselves in the Word of God daily and use it in their lives regularly. They are close with family and treasure the relationships they have with them. They know what is important and what is not. And instead of bonding with Netflix, I was growing closer with them.

These friends are not the kind that drain you to be around because they don’t believe the way you do, because they see you as therapist not a friend, because they want to go out and do things you don’t want to do (and shouldn’t). These are not the kind of friends I’m talking about. Yes, it’s good to reach out to others and be friends with those who don’t believe. It’s awesome and necessary to give them a chance to see God in you or to tell them about the amazing things God did for them.

But, it matters who you surround yourself with. It matters who you turn to when life gets rough. It matters because if you’re surrounding yourself with those who believe, you really do feel fulfilled. You become energized and have more passionate conversations with or about God. And when you’re fulfilled, you’re enabled to go out into the world and share with more people about how awesome God is. You’ll be more prepared for rejection and how to overcome it—maybe from your friends’ recent wisdom or maybe because the Holy Spirit is speaking through you.

My point is, stay connected and rooted to that group of friends. Be there for each other. You all need each other when dark days will inevitably come. Use each other’s unique gifts for the benefits of the Lord. And never forget to show appreciation to those friends, no matter how long or short the friendship has lasted. Everyone likes to reminded that they mean something to someone.

Oh, and if for some reason a friend isn’t available one night—crack open that dusty Bible. There’s a lot of amazing stuff written in there. And you know you can always send up a prayer to the One who is always with you. I promise you’ll be feeling just as fulfilled, if not even more.

So, thank you to my friends out there. Y’all know who you are. Thank you for being an extension of God here on this Earth and looking out for me in a way that no one else has. I appreciate everything you all do for me—all the encouragements and uplifting words, the letters and late night phone calls, the times I stay over way too late because I haven’t talked something out long enough, the laughs and silliness, and all the great times we share together. You do more than you know.

And thank you to the ultimate friend, the ultimate father and Savior: the Lord up above.