Daily Power #207

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. (Prov. 13:20)

Someone said, “Show me your friends and you’ll show me your future.” This important truth draws on biblical wisdom, and I’m sure you’ve seen it in your life too. From past adventures I’ve shared in previous entries, you’ll recall that friends of mine like Steven (his dad had the Playboys) and Stan (my accomplice in the debacle known as The Great Running Shorts Heist) weren’t doing me any favors. And believe me, there were numerous others, such as frat brothers and tennis teammates from college, who weren’t concerned in the least about my relationship with God.

Today, though, one concern about our friendships is summed up by a recent conversation I had with a college-aged woman from our church. She said, “I have over 700 Facebook friends, over 500 people who regularly check my daily pics on Instagram, and almost 1,000 who follow me on Twitter. And yet I don’t have anyone to grab coffee or go shopping with me. Despite how many people I know online, I’m, well, really lonely.”

From my experience, when I’m lonely, I’m more susceptible to temptation. For example, I’m more likely to feel sorry for myself and justify eating donuts and not working out. But I don’t always realize that’s what I’m feeling until it’s too late. After all, with all this constant connectivity, how could I be lonely?

Show me your friends—your real friends, not just virtual—and you’ll show me your future.

Power Lift

Lord, I do feel lonely sometimes and know that I need to build deeper friendships with people who love and seek you as much as I do. Today point me toward someone I can befriend.