They say you are the people you surround yourself with the most. If that is the case, step back and analyze whom you spend the most time with. Are they believers? Are they truthful? Do they passionately follow Christ? Do they provide you encouragement and love? Do they empower you?
If you answered no to these questions, take a moment and think about whether they are pushing you forward or holding you back. One of the hardest lessons in life I have learned is that not all friends are good for you.
My friend once asked me if they thought I was a negative influence on their life – if they thought I was dragging them down. My response was no, purely because they realized that they could be negative at times. The key to that, is “at times.”
We all have our “pity me” moments – our moments when we need our friends to perk us up. Or when we just need our friends to listen to us moan and groan about stuff out of our control.
The key to a healthy friendship is by recognizing the waves of emotions, and being sensitive to what each other need. When I am down, I turn to my friends to provide me support to pick me back up. And when my friends are down, I do the same for them.
I encourage them to continue to passionately pursue who God wants them to be; and they do the same for me. By surrounding yourself with friends who are passionately pursuing becoming who God wants you to be, and then asking the same of you, you provide yourself with a support system that is stronger than you could ever have on your own.
Now, that doesn’t mean only surrounding yourself with strong believers – without non believers and those that are doubting God’s love, you aren’t following His command – to love others just as He loves you. 1 Peter 2:12 states, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Surround yourself with passionate believers who are pursuing becoming who God wants them to be; but also make sure you surround yourself with those who need to witness God’s love and glory through you.
