Spur One Another On.

It's amazing how influenced we all are by one another. Whether it be a big thing or little, we pick up traits and habits from those around us. For example, I've caught myself picking up on little words or phrases that my friends say without really meaning to. Or on a bigger scale, in my past I've been guilty of changing my standards and morals because of the people I was around the most. It's amazing how looking back I know the stuff was wrong, but because of that close circle of influence I was able to convince myself that it wasn't that bad. The more I think about it, the more I see how much I am influenced by others. If someone else starts complaining about a teacher that I never really seemed to have a problem with, I'll start looking for reasons to complain too. These are all just examples, and I'm sure there are millions more, but this is just a start.

This also means that I influence those I am around too. My complaining could change someone else's perspective, and my attitude can change the whole atmosphere of those around me. If I allow my bad day to affect my attitude, I can easily let that rub off on those around me. It's kind of scary to think about how many times I may have caused someone else to do something wrong because of the influence I had on them. Especially when it comes to talking about other people, I know I'm the worst. I struggle with gossiping, and I allow myself to say things that I shouldn't about those around me. I can only imagine how many times my gossip has caused others to have a different view of a person, or caused them to fall into gossiping as well. I don't want to sound like I've just accepted that I gossip and am okay with it, because I'm certainly not. I'm working on this bad habit of mine, but it takes work.

Today I was reading Hebrews 10, which is all about persevering in your faith. One part in particular struck me:

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,not giving up meeting together... but encouraging one another."

[Hebrews 10:23-25]

While this journey with Christ isn't exactly easy, if we help one another out it becomes easier. We were made for community and relationships by God's design, so it's no surprise that the Body of Christ is the same way. I can't help but wonder that if we focused on "spurring one another on" and encouraged those around us, that things would get easier. Not to say that life would be simple by any means, but then we could help one another get through the tough times. If we were to stop complaining and gossiping but instead focused on helping one another, our relationships would be so much better. We would have stronger relationships with those around us, both because of the quality of the friendship as well as the purpose.