We have a powerful influence over each other, so when it is good all is well, but when it is bad we are in trouble. For this reason, when we consciously surround ourselves with people who speak life, we and everyone we come in contact with, will be better off.
Next month, my husband and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. When we were on our honeymoon we had a conversation with an older couple who were our age now. They gave us simple advice. Their advice was that if we wanted to have a long, happy life together we should surround ourselves with positive people with good marriages. We took their advice, because even then in our youth, we recognized wisdom when we heard it.
I am blessed to know some truly beautiful Christian women. Yesterday, I was listening to one of these women share stories from her childhood that were foundational to the person she has become. She shared that without her family, her pastor, and church, she would likely not have made the choices she has made. Hearing this woman of God share her life story with openness and vulnerability was confirming to me. It brought me back to that couple who 40 years earlier had given such godly advice.
We become like the people who we value in relationship, who have core values that we can relate to, and who live a life that is God focused. When we do this we become the friend to those in need, and the person that others seek out because they know we have something of value to offer.
There is a bumper sticker we have all seen that says, “Love God, Love People.” When we love God and surround ourselves by people who love God, we become the people who can love others regardless of their condition or situation, and this is always a good thing!
Proverbs 13:20-22 NKJV He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. Evil pursues sinners, but to the righteous, good shall be repaid. A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.