Choosing Your Herd

My grandkids swim. Really well, if I do say so myself. I do not, but I enjoy watching them. One of the things they have taught me is that if you want to improve your time you need someone in the lane next to you that swims faster than you. Without a winner beside you, it’s easy to believe that you are clipping along pretty quick and you don’t end up improving your time at all.

Parents typically want to know something about their kids friends and families before they allow their kids to spend a great deal of time with them. When they spend time with whiners, they tend to whine. When they spend time with kids who are polite, it seems to improve their manners.

When I am with friends that eat healthy, it’s easier to make good decisions about what I eat. When I am with a friend who is a shopper, it’s easier for me to purchase something I don’t really need. The point that I am making is nothing you don’t already know. We are all impacted, one way or the other, by the people with whom we spend our time.

That being said, who are those people in your life that you want in the lane next to you, helping you to be the best you can be? Who will help you on your faith journey? Who will help you be a stronger parent? Who will help you make wiser financial decisions? Who is that couple who you want to model your marriage after?

It matters a great deal who your kids spend time with. It also matters who YOU spend time with. The law of association is a real thing, so how about taking inventory of those people you socialize with most. Are they heading in the direction you must go in order to achieve the goals you have for yourself and your family? Are they helping you draw closer Jesus? Is their influence making your marriage stronger? If not, beware. If you don’t want to change your goals, perhaps it is time to change the herd you are running with. Just because everyone seems to moving in the same direction, doesn’t mean it is the right direction for you.

“One day Jesus said to his disciples,

“There will always be temptations to sin,

but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”"

Life is hard. Adulting is harder. Parenting is the hardest! We are going to mess it up. Jesus knew that when He said "there will always be temptations to sin." Why make it worse by rubbing shoulders with those who don’t value your faith journey, your life goals, your plans for the future of your family? Those with whom we associate on a regular basis have the most power to distract us from our desired destination or to spur us on with their example and encouragement.

Choose your herd well!