A good walk can be made better (or worse) depending on the company you keep along the way. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who is hard work? Take that short time, and multiply it many times over because when you are on a long walk with friends that 10 miles can feel like 20 if the talk of your travelling companion is difficult.
It’s a good thing to plan your route and even more important that you choose your walking partners carefully. That’s not to say that some folks have no worth. They will be worth their weight in gold under different circumstances, but when you are side by side for such a long time, it is essential you make the journey as enjoyable as possible.
We all have friends in our lives whose company we enjoy. Maybe we have been friends since school days, but on our faith walk it becomes apparent very quickly that the common ground of conversation and lifestyle is not quite the same. You might want to enjoy the wonder of creation and talk about your friend and Saviour, the Creator. On the other hand if your walking partner wants to brag about their pub, club and Godless lifestyle, it can and will sour the experience of the journey. I am not saying our friends must all be Christians, but be careful not to exclude them as we try to look ‘cool’ and in touch with the world.
Our faith journey is a very special one, and the road can be narrow, so making room beside you for a like minded person just makes sense. And let’s face it, that narrow path is not the one chosen by some of our friends. They may stay our friends, but at the end of the trek, we will have a different destination. That’s worth keeping in mind when we start choosing. As a final thought, I have noticed that my true friends who have lasted are also the ones of like mind. Some of the pals made in my youth have become occasional colleagues now. To any younger readers, I would suggest that you take good care of the people who surround you. They may all be your friends now, but the real friends who will last will be more than just those who make you laugh now!
God’s temple cannot have anything to do with idols, and we are the temple of the living God. As God said, I will live with them and walk with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. So come away from those people and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch anything that is not clean, and I will accept you. I will be your father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord All-Powerful. 2 Corinthians 6:16-18
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