Some of the best friends you’ll ever make are sometimes found at church. But have you ever heard the phrase "Your friends are a bad influence"? Even if you haven't heard this, the phrase still carries a lot of weight. It's important to choose your friends wisely.
Here's why:
- Your friends often dictate your environment. What does this mean, you ask? It means that if your friends are all in the popular, partying crowd, you will probably find yourself at parties a lot. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does present a lot of temptation that could make life tougher on you.
- Your friends' choices usually impact your own life. Maybe this scenario sounds familiar: you've grown up with the same best friend since you were a kid. You thought you knew him well. You get into middle or high school, though, and he starts getting in trouble all the time. If you sit next to him in class or hang out with him after school, chances are pretty good that you're going to be pulled into some of that "trouble" one day.
- Your friends tend to take up a lot of your time. In middle and high school, you're usually spending more time with your friends than with your parents or older siblings. That means your friends become your support system more than any other people.
Here are a few questions to help you evaluate your friendships. If "yes" is the answer you'd give for every guy you know, consider widening your circle of friends.
- When you or your family have something bad happen to you, do your friends desert you?
- Do you find yourself questioning what they do? Does it make you anxious to hang out with them because you're always having to justify their actions (and yours when you're with them)?
- Are they constantly coming up with ways to get by doing what they want instead of doing what is right?
Choosing your friends carefully doesn't mean all your friends have to be perfect. You can always influence them by living according to the Bible and doing what God wants you to do.
Here's why:
- Your friends often dictate your environment. What does this mean, you ask? It means that if your friends are all in the popular, partying crowd, you will probably find yourself at parties a lot. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does present a lot of temptation that could make life tougher on you.
- Your friends' choices usually impact your own life. Maybe this scenario sounds familiar: you've grown up with the same best friend since you were a kid. You thought you knew him well. You get into middle or high school, though, and he starts getting in trouble all the time. If you sit next to him in class or hang out with him after school, chances are pretty good that you're going to be pulled into some of that "trouble" one day.
- Your friends tend to take up a lot of your time. In middle and high school, you're usually spending more time with your friends than with your parents or older siblings. That means your friends become your support system more than any other people.
Here are a few questions to help you evaluate your friendships. If "yes" is the answer you'd give for every guy you know, consider widening your circle of friends.
- When you or your family have something bad happen to you, do your friends desert you?
- Do you find yourself questioning what they do? Does it make you anxious to hang out with them because you're always having to justify their actions (and yours when you're with them)?
- Are they constantly coming up with ways to get by doing what they want instead of doing what is right?
Choosing your friends carefully doesn't mean all your friends have to be perfect. You can always influence them by living according to the Bible and doing what God wants you to do.
