Who Surrounds You?

"The people we surround ourselves with either raise or lower our standards.  No man becomes great on his own. No woman becomes great on her own. The people around them help make them great."

-- Matthew Kelly, internationally acclaimed author and speaker

The founder of a large homeless shelter once said that a recovering addict cannot possibly maintain sobriety if he or she surrounded by people who are still using.  Likewise, you cannot be the person God created you to be if you are surrounded solely by people of lukewarm faith leading complacent lives of relative comfort.

No matter how great your intentions are to be the person God wants you to be, you cannot make it as a lone ranger.  The answer is not in the number of faith-filled, inspiring people you find, but rather it lies in the authenticity of their example.  Find those people in your life; they are there.  They are in your workplace, in your community, in your school; they are everywhere. God has seen to it that there are people in your life who you can relate to.  People who will challenge you when you need to be pushed, and will support you when you need to be picked up.  Now go tip your hand a bit, and find them.