BY JESSICA LANDMON
Many of you are familiar with the old saying, “You are the company you keep.” And I think we can all agree that this is far truer than we often want to acknowledge. The people we grow up with, work with, and choose to do life with all have a significant impact on the way we think and behave.
Don’t believe me? Hang around with a negative, cynical person, and watch how quickly you begin to notice the faults and flaws in other people and situations. On the opposite end of the spectrum, spend your time with an optimistic, joy-filled person, and you’ll notice that you too will become a glass half-full kind of woman. If being around people can have this much influence over your actions and thinking, it is imperative that you choose your circle carefully.
In Mark chapter 2, we see a powerful illustration of this truth in scripture. A paralyzed man is brought to Jesus because of the persistence of his friends. The crowds were large, and access to Jesus seemed improbable. Yet this man’s friends refused to give up and walk away from a miracle in the making. They stopped at nothing to bring him to the One who has the power to forgive his sins and heal his disease.
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” – Mark 2:1-5
This powerful moment reminds us that our faith and victory is often shaped by the people we do life with. The right people will help draw us closer to Jesus. This is especially important during a season of waiting, when discouragement and weariness start to settle in. We need to be around people who will build up our faith, not add to the discouragement.
Our circle will either war Heaven with us or quietly distract us from it. Our circle will either build up our faith or feed our doubt and fear. Our circle will either draw us closer to Jesus or unintentionally pull us away.
Without the right friends, the paralyzed man would have been stuck outside the door to Jesus, unable to reach Him on His own. Thankfully, he had friends that were not content with him staying in his current condition but physically pulled him close to Jesus so that he could experience the victory.
Ladies, your circle matters. Choose wisely.
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. – Proverbs 13:20