Did you know at one point last season, the New England Patriots’ 3 star receivers along with Rob Gronkowski, the best tight end in the NFL, were all injured?

These facts may not surprise you, but the fact that I know these facts, should.

I have never (ever) been into sports but now sports is part of who I am. Between my two boys and my husband, I am outnumbered. I wasn’t trying to increase my sports IQ, but because of who surrounds me, I now know the difference between a pick, pick 6 and a pick and roll.

In Proverbs 13:20, Solomon,wrote: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

My point is we are all influenced…whether we are trying to or not…it just happens.

If we spend enough time with Negative Nancy or Gossipy Gladys – we may find ourselves always seeing the cup half empty or enjoying those tiny morsels of gossip. (By the way, no offense if your name is Nancy or Gladys.)

In Proverbs, Solomon warns us to ‘guard our hearts’ and in doing so, we must guard who pours into our hearts. Why? Because eventually ‘out of the abundance of our heart, our mouth will speak. Bad company will eventually corrupt good character.’

We don’t set out to become a gossip or to lower our moral standards but the enemy is sneaky. If we fail to use wisdom or fail to have boundaries in place, the negative culture around us may slowly creep in.

A few years ago, my husband’s coworkers would come into his office and “vent.” All were great people, but the f- bomb was part of their daily vocabulary. Over time my husband realized his environment was influencing him rather than he influencing his environment. God gave my husband a creative yet bold idea.

My husband placed a curse jar on his desk. All were still welcome into his office to “vent,” but he asked that a dollar be placed into the jar if they chose to curse. All proceeds going towards mission work, of course. His co-workers respected his request and were compliant. But soon they were out of cash. His co-workers still came in but the point was made and the lines were drawn.

Being influenced isn’t always bad. In fact, I like being able to participate in conversations going on around me…How bout them Warriors?

But in the midst of being influenced or being an influencer – may our spirits always be sensitive as to how we can shine God’s light so that maybe even negative Nancy can finally see that the glass is actually half full. (No offense, Nancy.)
~Binu