The Company We Keep

There is much to be said about the following quote: “Birds of a feather flock together.”  I will share my thoughts on it a little later.

Another interesting quote is, “I’m at the end of my rope.”  I interpret this saying as being frustrated when immediate challenges overwhelm a person’s limitations relating to their temperament.

My creative imagination offers this thought: God supplied just enough rope to everyone He breathed life into, for stressful situations.  The length of rope is dependent upon each person’s level of angst when facing demanding times.

The rope is long enough that when a person is at the end of their rope, it is God’s perfect timing, because when people are desperate, exhausted from pressures, and hanging on for dear life, hopefully, they call out to the Lord for help and surrender their life to Him.

It is interesting to me that God gives us freewill to choose the path we want to travel.  We are not dominated or scrutinized at every turn by Deity.  God allows humanity to live and do as we please, yet we learn from our mistakes with His help.

God is always ready to embrace us, especially when we repent of our sins.  We are also free to involve ourselves in bad choices and live with the consequences of poor judgement.

Regarding “birds of a feather flock together,” the environment a person frequents, and the people they hang with, can affect sound judgement in toxic ways.  Ongoing exposure to negative influences can change people.  In time, the true status of their heart, mind, and soul is unmasked.

Ask yourself, do the friends I associate with contribute to constructive thinking and promote good judgement?  It matters, because our outward appearance and countenance are reflective of the person inside us.  These attributes are what others see, which cause them to draw a conclusion from the visual perception as to what kind of person we are.

Actions and words set the tone of what we harbor deep inside ourselves that become a clear picture or reflection of our identity.  There’s a scripture in the Bible that reflects the above thoughts.

(Luke 6:45), “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Our mouth tells on us— “the good, bad, and the ugly.”  It is an extension of what we feel and who we are, and at times will spew out hurtful words of anger and untruths, among other unkind things.  The Bible says that the tongue is hard to tame and sits on hellfire.

(James 3:6), “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.  The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”

(James 3:8), “But no man can tame the tongue.  It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

For the most part, we are the company we keep.  Birds of a feather flock together.  It is a natural desire for most people to feel the need to be part of something and to enjoy a sense of belonging.  There are those among us that are influenced by others and take on their characteristics, becoming what they see and what they hear.

When I was living the fast life, my friends and I were seeking thrills in all the wrong places.  We allowed the devil to dictate our coming and going like leaves in a breeze.  Our personalities were intrusive and uncompromising.

It doesn’t take long for strong personalities to rub off on others in a group.  Everyone wants to emulate and be like the Kingpin.  This coupled with a negative environment and being around other hard-nosed personalities, is a sure recipe for heartache and regrets.

The eye gate plays an important role in the person we are likely to become if we choose to remain in this unhealthy environment.  That which enters our eyes and what we listen to take up lodging inside us. 

For example, some PG rated movies along with PG-13, R, and X rated movies can affect what comes out of a person’s mouth and the attitude they exude, because of negative input.  Who and what we listen to plays a big part in shaping our emotions, because of the power of the spoken word.

If we open our minds to contentious and questionable rhetoric, it can hurt us in many areas: spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically to name a few.  The company we keep is who we are in most cases, although I am sure there are exceptions to my supposed opinion.

As I see it, some people display attitudes that resemble a laptop computer, garbage in, garbage out.  To me this means, if people fill their minds with filth, filth comes out.

Finding myself at the end of my rope, despondent and having a feeling of hopelessness, I reached out to God and became a born-again Christian.  Thinking about my transformation, it is intriguing to me how my attitude, personality, desires, vocabulary, and whom I associated with, changed.

When God forgave my sins and came into my heart, things inside me were different.  I can’t explain it; it was like a miracle.  One moment I was looking for things to pleasure my senses, but then everything changed for the better when I asked God to forgive my sins.

The driving force to sin was removed from my heart when Jesus took up residence inside me.  Yes, temptations are a part of Christianity, but the Holy Spirit is my strength upon whom I lean heavily.

(1 Corinthians 10:13), “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Some of my friends turned from their wayward lifestyle when I presented Jesus and the plan of salvation to them.  It was wonderful when they accepted the Lord as their personal Savior. 

I believe the power of God was in the words I shared, when telling them of His love and grace, and how God would forgive their sins.  Words had a positive impact on their decision making.

Some friends listened and God changed them, just as He did me.  Others rejected God, and in time we went our separate ways.  The common denominator we once shared ceased to be.  Sadly, they chose to walk away from Truth and continue down the wide road to destruction, the opposite direction that I was now headed.

The few friends that accepted Jesus as their Savior are on the path toward heaven with me.  I thank God for His mercy and grace that saved us from an eternity separated from Him.  I am becoming more and more like the company I now keep—Jesus, my friend forever.

(Proverbs 18:24), “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The Bible says that God will never leave me not forsake me.  He is always with me.

(Deuteronomy 31:8), “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.  He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

His attributes are becoming my qualities.  The company we keep, namely Jesus, makes all the difference in this world, and where we spend eternity.  Heaven is the magnificent place that God promised to those that are born-again Believers—His children.

Written by,

Papa Boyd