The Company You Keep
"Watch who you're hanging with"
When I was a little girl, the Pastor at our church (Brother Bradley Bullock) would tell about his mother telling him to "watch the company he keeps". As a child, I didn't think about it often, but as an adult, it's on my mind frequently.
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But what does it mean?
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Proverbs 13:20 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed". I heard T.D. Jakes say once during one of his sermons, "If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room". I don't know if the quote originated with him, but I have always remembered it. Ask yourself, what would be different about your life if you spent the majority of your time around leaders? What if you spent the majority of your "friend" time with Spiritual mothers and fathers? What if you had a daily text from a leading devotional or a weekly meeting (virtual or otherwise) with a mom group or healthy eating/living club? What if, when you chose a book to read, it was about character building, or what creates excellence?
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Just take a minute. With WHAT and with WHOM do we spend our time? Let's break it down. You are at work. There is a mandatory all employee meeting and there is yet another implementation to be added to your already busy schedule. You FEEL overworked. They didn't ask you and you are a bit resentful. You go to lunch and you begin to talk about the new requirement with some of your co workers and realize they FEEL the same as you. Before lunch is over, you are complaining, feeling like this might be the worst job ever, and maybe even feeling a bit confrontational.
After work, you run into one of the managers at the grocery store. You mention your feelings of discontentment and frustration. She explains that the new rule actually came from a governing body in the industry and is mandatory for licensure and best practice. After even a brief discussion with her you leave the store feeling much better about the whole idea. Her perceptions regarding the guideline were not negative at all but she embraced the change as an opportunity to grow, learn, and remain relevant and effective in the field. How might your day, your weeks, your years and your career be affected if you surrounded yourself with positive-minded, self-improvement oriented people?
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Let's look at an example in Scripture. Luke chapter 5 tells the story of a man on a stretcher needing a miracle. Unable to walk, he was carried. Finding no way for him to get to Jesus through the door, the men lifted him to the roof, tore off the "tiles" (word used in Scripture), and let him down at Jesus feet. The man was healed. What an amazing example of good friends! Can you say that your close friendships--we're not talking about acquaintances with whom you are friendly when you see them out somewhere (you SHOULD be friendly)--your CLOSE friends would go through such effort to make sure you got in the presence of Jesus?
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Even Jesus limited his circle. He performed miracles and Words of parables and teachings to thousands. He ATE with twelve (and a few more) and He only asked THREE to pray during his suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. (Peter, James and John--Matthew 26:37) Additionally, only THREE witnessed the glory of His transfiguration on the mount.
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EVERYBODY can't go where your heading. Their attitudes, negative opinions, and poor habits will rub off on you.
So remember the words of Rev. Bullock and "Watch the Company You Keep"
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