Proverbs 12:26:
The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
I want my children to make wise choices in all they do. I realize they are going to make mistakes, but that doesn’t change the fact that my desire is for them to always make wise choices. My desire for them to make wise choices with the people they choose as their friends, particularly their close friends, is no different. The people they choose as their friends greatly influence them, whether they realize it or not. The attitudes they see in their friends influence them. The words they hear their friends use influence them. The actions they watch their friends complete influence them. These attitudes, words, and actions that influence them can be positive influences that exhibit characteristics we are called to show in accordance with God’s Word. However, these attitudes, words, and actions that influence them can be negative, pulling my children away from God. My closest friends, as well as my children’s closest friends, should be those who when they influence us, influence us for the good, and not evil.
