Over at MakeItGreat, Phil Gerbyshak wrote about how his choice of friends made an impact on how we was perceived by others. In closing he says:
Hang out with undesirables, and you get treated undesirables. Hang out with people who are high speed, and you’ll be high speed.
This was a great reminder to me to do a little audit of the people whom I hang out with. I think as I get older, I tend not to waste my time on dead-end relationships. But I forget that there can be a powerful spin put on this: if I find someone I want to emulate, I should hang out with that person more.
My closest friends have strengths that I want. My sister seems to have an unlimited fountain of energy. My friend Leslie puts a lot of thought into every thing she does. My friend Diane tells it like it is and is a voracious reader. My friend Chris has lots of great technical knowledge and is self-assured. My friend Heather is warm and compassionate. My friend Christian has an amazing wit that keeps me in stitches. My friend Linda is fiercely loyal. My friend Mary is wise and nothing phases her. These are qualities I desire for myself. Hopefully in time, I will be perceived by others as being like my friends.
Most importantly to me, if I want to be like Christ, I need to align myself better with what He did. Boy, have I got a lot of work to do. . . 1 Peter 2:21-22 (from The Message) This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, Not once said anything amiss.
Thanks for linking back to my blog. Very interesting thoughts you have as well. Trying to be like Christ is critical in each of our walks. It’s important to remember though that God loves us in spite of the fact we’re not perfect, though that shouldn’t stop us from trying to be a better Christ follower. Excellent ideas in your posting.
Thanks for your encouragement and reminder about God’s grace. I know I’ll never reach perfection in this life but I do hope I can become more Christ-like day by day.