Walking with the wise

Daily Reading: Exodus 22, Psalm 72, Acts 28, Proverbs 13

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

Proverbs 13:20

So much wisdom in a single verse.

I have seen this play out time and time again in virtually every area of my life.

While coaching basketball every year I  see players spending a ton of time with other students who are making great decisions in their lives, prioritizing academics, and avoiding some of the classic forms of peer pressure that exist in High School today.

It is only natural that they are doing well in most areas of life as well.

Unfortunately you sometimes also see the opposite. From time to time you will see players that have close friends that appear to be making a lot of the wrong decisions, and it then becomes challenging for the player to break out of that destructive cycle.

These two players have the same set of teammates, the same coaching staff attempting to mentor them, the same counselors at school, and the same teaching staff.

Radically different results.

In business, there have been countless people I have had the privilege of mentoring that have close groups of friends that are on fire for life. They have great habits, are pursuing excellence, taking care of their bodies, and attempting to grow in their careers and personal lives as well.

These people thrive.

There have also been folks I have mentored whose support network has the opposite effect on them.

This is true in all areas of our lives.

Who are we walking with?

Don’t get me wrong, as Christians we are also called to serve those who are in need, struggling, and who we might be able to influence in a positive way to help them make better choices in their lives.

The mistake some of us make is allowing this to become our core support network as well.

It is important to have both.

People that fall under the category of: “Walk with the wise and become wise.”

People we are discipling and helping make better choices in their lives.

A beautiful thing can sometimes happen! By pouring into others, we sometimes will look up and see that folks we were once pouring into, have now seen so much growth in their lives that they are now in that core group for us as well. We are now finding ourselves growing and developing personally as a result of the positive impact they have on us!

However, before this happens, it is important that we also have that group of people we are walking with that are pushing us, making us better, and increasing our wisdom.

“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

A lot of wisdom in a single verse.

Let’s live by it this year!

Daily Reflection & Dialogue

Who is the tribe you are currently walking with that is making you more wise because of your time with them?