Proverbs 14:7-8

Leave the presence of a foolish person,
or you will not understand wise counsel.
The wisdom of the shrewd person is to discern his way,
but the folly of fools is deception.

We’ve already talked about how the people you spend your time with have a great impact on the kind of person you are and the kind of life you will lead. Today continues in that theme, but comes with a little bit different of a presupposition.

The proverb implies that someone is seeking wise counsel and yet is unwilling to leave the presence of the fools they normally hang out with. They want to know the way they are supposed to walk, but they’re not willing to give up the relationships that are holding them back.

There are probably some relationships in your life right now that have you anchored to the past in a way you don’t even understand. You’ve grown so accustomed to them that you don’t even notice them anymore. You don’t evaluate them anymore. You don’t think of them in that way anymore, they are just your friends. But, these are the very relationships that keep you tied down. These are the relationships that keep you from living the live you should be and could be living.

If you could just move past these one or two relationships, you could have so much more. But they’re my friends. Do I have to give up my friends? Maybe. Maybe not. If they’re not wise, yes you should. Will it be hard? Probably. Do you have to get them out of your life all together. Not necessarily, but they can’t be in your life to the extent that they have influence. Hopefully you could have influence in their lives, but until they change their ways, influence must only be a one way street. It can’t come back on you.

If you really want to discern your way, if you really want to know which way to go, you’re going to need to know some wise people. The friends who have you anchored to your past will only deceive you into thinking you don’t need to change and the life you lived was good enough. But you know better. Who are you going to surround yourself with that will help you move in the right direction? What friends do you need to cut out of your life so you can finally take flight like you were intended to?