Who Are You Surrounded By?
Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces. - Proverbs 13:20 (MSG)
What kind of people do you surround yourself with? What qualities make up the character of the people you’re closest to? I would encourage you to think about your closest friends and companions and answer these questions:
Do they make thoughtful, wise choices, or are they reckless and dismissive with their decision making?
Do they speak encouragement to the people around them, or are they careless with their words?
Are they selfless and others focused, or are they always looking out for #1?
Are they willing to call you out when they see you headed down a dangerous direction, or do they affirm everything you do to avoid tension or confrontation?
Do they live their life in a way that reflects Jesus, or would it be difficult for someone who isn’t close to them to figure out if they are a follower of Christ?
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.
If we want to become more like Jesus, if we want to possess the characteristics of a Christ-follower that are laid out for us in Scripture, one of the best things we can do is to surround ourselves with people who are exemplifying those characteristics in their own faith walk. Just like Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
So let me ask you the question again: What kind of people are you surrounding yourself with? I would really encourage you to consider the five people you spend the most time with and figure out if these are people you want to become more like. If not, my prayer is that God would give you the discernment to seek out other people who will sharpen you, encourage you, challenge you, mature you, and ultimately point you to Christ above all else.