Surround

People play a big role in how you and I grow in our faith. Plain and simple. I want to share two scriptures with you that I think illustrate this best.

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”

-          Proverbs 13:20

When I hear this Proverb my mind immediately jumps to a poster I saw pretty regularly in the halls of my school when I was in grade school. This poster had several colored pencils neatly lined up one next to the other. All of these pencils were sharpened to the point, except for the pencil in the middle. The pencil in the middle was dull. And up above the picture it said, “Surround yourself with who you want to be.”

This proverb in a lot of ways says the exact same thing: Surround yourself with who you want to be. And when I look at this scripture honestly and truthfully, I’m forced to take a step back and ask myself, “what kind of person do I want to be?  Who do I want to be like? Who do I surround myself with...and do I want to be like that?"

Positive relationships can do amazing incredible things for our walk with God, but the flip side is true as well. 

“Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” – 1 Corinthians 15:33

There are some "grey" areas that I believe are open for discussion for some things in faith, but when it comes to relationships, in my opinion, there's no middle ground. The relationships you and I are currently in at this moment are either growing our faith, or they are choking it. They either go one way or the other. There’s no middle ground…either their helping or hindering our walk with our creator.

So who are the people/persons who have had a positive impact on your life? What was it that made this person influential? What kind of influence have you had on others?