"God sets the lonely in families." That's never been more clear to me than it was this past week.

Some friends swooped in and rescued me... from myself. They helped me take an honest look at my own heart, and they gave me the courage to make a difficult decision. They went to great lengths to protect and care for me.

For me.

Even now, my eyes fill with tears because of how overwhelmingly loved they made me feel.

My friends showed me what family should be. What family really is.

"God sets the lonely in families."

He set me in a family that's held together not by DNA, but by a heart connection that runs even deeper. A family that stretches to every corner of the earth. A family that is as eclectic and strange as they come, yet our similarities far outweigh our differences.

A family that loves one another well.

And when I attempted to thank my friends for what they did, I was told---

"That's what family does."

We strengthen. Support. Infuse courage.

We protect and provide.

We laugh. We cry. We hold.

We sacrifice.

We see. We know. We love.

And we push each other toward Him.

"That's what family does."

Sometimes it's the family we were born into, sometimes it's the family He places us into, and sometimes it's a combination of both. But God always uses people to show us what love is.

And while this heart of mine at times still feels lonely, I pray I never lose sight of the family He's placed me in.

For you, my close-as-family friends, have loved me well. And in doing so, you've shown me the Father-heart of God.

I'm so, so grateful.

I'd love to hear about the family God's placed you in or a time you've been loved well. Let's live thankful today.