You Are What You Surround Yourself With

"Do no be deceived: "bad company ruins good morals.""
1 Corinthians 15:33

One year I went on a mission trip called CityReach (if you've never been you should look into it, it's life changing.) On this trip the speaker talked about how we are the average of our closest friends. Think about your 5 closest friends and the kind of people they are. Are they good or bad influences? You're the average of that. They influence you whether you see it or not. Most Christians who have a period where they lose there way can usually trace that back to the fact that they got involved in the wrong crowd. I'm not saying these are terrible people and you should fully avoid them and never talk to them again. I'm saying that you need to be considerate of what you surround yourself with.

When I was sixteen I was in church all the time. I went on every trip the church took, and I took every opportunity handed to me to glorify God. In my free time I hung out with my youth group, my best friend didn't go to school with me, she went to church with me. I chose to surround myself with believers who had a strong faith and knew what they wanted to do with their lives. When I went to college I hung out with people who partied as often as they could and never went to church. I don't see them as bad people, I loved my friends, but I do see the changes that happened in my life when my friend group changed. Your attitude and your outlook on life is greatly affected by the people you choose to hang out with. This is a hard thing to accept, I know when I was told this that all I could think about was how great my friends were, but everything I am telling you is true. Don't ever ditch someone, just limit the time you spend with them. If they aren't willing to make the changes in their lives that you're making in yours then they will probably hold you back while you try to move forward. If they are willing to make positive changes in their lives then they deserve to have the privilege of hanging out with you often, again. You can't make anyone change, you can only pray for them. As much as it hurts us, there are just some people that we need to spend less time with for the sake of our walks with Christ. It doesn't mean they're bad people, it definitely doesn't mean you're better than them, because you're not, it just means that you're willing to work on yourself and sadly they are not.

This topic can also be turned around and directed at yourself. Are you being the kind of person that a good Christian would want to be friends with? Are you growing closer to God, or are you straying? Are you a good or bad influence? If any of your answers to those questions are negative answers then you aren't helping your friends, you're hurting them. A true friend wants to see their best friend doing good things. So if you aren't that kind of person, maybe you should reevaluate yourself. God wants us to live our lives for him and if we are falling for worldly temptation then everything about our lives will be worldly and temporary. Do you want friends that will last a life time or friends that are looking out for themselves making sure that they are having a fun time and not caring about anything else. You'll attract the kind of people you are, keep that in mind. We all have things to work on, nobody is perfect, you just have to be willing to actually work on yourself. We don't have all the time in the world on Earth. Our purpose is to make a difference and to show others the love of God. If you aren't working on yourself and living for God you're wasting time and you're holding others back. Don't be the kind of person that won't move forward. You aren't meant to stay in the same place forever.

As Christians we should consider making changes in every aspect of our lives. Some changes are harder than others, but if the change is beneficial then you should make it. If we are focused on making these changes then we will attract the right type of friends that will help us and push us to be better people. A good life is one that honors God in everything that you do, and the way to make that even easier is to have good Christian friends that are taking the same walk as you and wont let you fall, but instead lift you up and help you reach your full potential. If you want people to look at you and see God's love and miraculous ways then you can't be crowded by bad company. It's time for us all to step back and evaluate our friend choices. Are they hurting, or helping you? Just keep in mind, you have one life and you're supposed to use it to glorify him, don't let the man down who made the biggest sacrifice for you.

XOXO,
Kirby Madyson