They say that sometimes spouses eventually start to resemble one another.

Some husbands and wives may not find this Idea terribly thrilling.

A more disturbing trend is when people are dead ringers for their dogs, with the same flowing locks as their Afghan hound, jowls of their English bulldog, or roly-poly wrinkles of their Shar-Pei.

(Let’s hope none of my readers resembles the Komondor dog, which looks like a walking mop head!)

I guess it’s true to say that we become more like the people we spend a lot of time with.

We tend to conform to our friends’ attitudes and emotions, to their likes and dislikes, and even to their speech patterns. This can affect us for good or ill.

The Bible has a few things to say about how important it is to carefully choose the company we keep…

Moses knew how crucial it was for all of ancient Israel’s soldiers to be stout-hearted and brave.

In fact, he instructed the more lily-livered among the troops to slink back home so that their cowardice wouldn’t harm the morale of the rest of the ranks.

He said, “And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’” (Deuteronomy 20:8)

Moses knew that the negative emotions of a few people can be contagious, affecting the mindset of others. This idea is echoes in other parts of the Bible:

“Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” (Proverbs 13:20)

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

The company we keep will have a lot to do with how we grow, how our character develops, and what decisions we end up making about important issues.

Make sure that the people you surround yourself with are growing in Christ, and are encouraging you to do likewise.

You need people in your life who will hold you accountable in your walk with God, people who will help you “up your game.”

So choose your inner circle carefully.

You may end up more like them than you’d bargained on!

© 2023 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.