A friend of mine tells stories
of when he was sixteen or seventeen years old and how all the friends
(including his brother) he ran around with, were older than he. They would be out at night riding around and
the older fellas would do things my friend couldn’t because he was
younger. Because of the crowd he ran
with, he had the same reputation they did, which for the time period wasn’t
bad, or illegal, but certainly not the most upstanding youth in the
community! He didn’t mind, though, it gave him a feeling of fitting in even
though he didn’t participate in the “tom-foolery!” And in retrospect, back
in the 50’s "running around" was a lot different than it is now.
I remember when our kids were growing up, my
husband, Charles repeatedly told them, “Who you are with and what you do, is a
direct reflection of me!” We wanted our
kids, like all parents, to be honest, God-fearing young people and when we knew
they were spending time with their peers who didn’t necessarily fit that
criteria, we worried! None of our kids got into any trouble, but it made us
wonder as parents, if we (or they!) were on the right track!
Scripture tells us that who
our friends are is a reflection of our character. If we tend to socialize with those who are
less than honest and have low morals, then our character is tainted because of
association. That’s not to say a person
can’t be seen with honest, moral people and still have a less than desired
character. But usually, the company you
keep is where you are most comfortable.
The world offers a huge host
of activities labeled as joyful, interesting, fulfilling and fun, from gambling
and substance abuse to violent video games and pornography. Satan has managed to skew the minds of many
so that acceptance of bad and evil behavior is in some cases even condoned.
I am grateful God has given us
a wonderful church family with which to enjoy social events and opportunities
of fellowship! It’s encouraging, as a
Christian to take pleasure in activities that are completely enjoyable, moral
and godly! When I consider the options
out there and the opposite of what I find in my church family, I know I have
much for which to be thankful!
He who
walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20
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