Two laughing friends sat in front of a coloured background

 

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Contagious (2)

30 June 2019
‘Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.’

The kind of person we are is often reflected in the friends we pick. So if our lives have become unproductive, we need to take a look at the people we’ve surrounded ourselves with. Friendships, good and bad, indicate the direction we’re going. The Bible says: ‘Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.’ When we’re feeling miserable it can be tempting to want to be with other people feeling the same way, that way we can complain about our situations together. It might make us feel better in the short-term, but long-term it can be really damaging. We can get caught in a vicious cycle of being negative, and then seeing things negatively, and end up in a really bad headspace. Author John Mason writes: ‘The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. The right friends and associations bring out the original in you. You know the kind of people I’m talking about. After you’ve been with them you find yourself less critical, full of faith, and with a vision for the future…Not everyone has a right to speak into your life. Respect those whom God has connected to you to help you. God cares for people through people…and wise is the person who fortifies their life with the right friendships.’ We don’t have to cut people completely out of our lives, unless staying around them is dangerous to us, but we can restrict the amount of time we spend with them. When we’re feeling negative, we can choose to avoid those who we know will make us feel worse. Instead, we can choose to be around those who encourage us and help us to praise God again.

 

What Now?

Which of your friends encourages you and helps you to see things positively? Try and spend some time with them in the week ahead.

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