You know people are always saying, “You become who you hang out with”? Although I believe this is true and we do need to guard our hearts, I have always found this statement unsettling. In my opinion, if we ever want to go out in to the world and become people who make a difference we have to step outside our comfort zones. To truly have an impact and shape lives, we must be willing to befriend the people who need a friend the most. I see it as we all struggle, we all fall down, and we all make mistakes. The difference is what the mistakes are. Some people struggle with alcohol, others with anger, some with eating disorders and others with harming themselves, but none the less we all struggle.

My whole life I have grown up as a person who sees the diamond in the rough. Where others see disgust and failure, I see beauty and potential. I see the struggles and the hurt that caused this person to build walls up, who uses other things to fill the void in their heart, a heart that desires nothing more than to be loved. I wish nothing more than to reach as many people as I possibly can, to get down on one knee and let these people know they are not alone and that I will do anything to help them. We are so use to thinking that we are who we hang out with and that we are what we struggle with. But let me tell you, our struggles do not define us,God defines us and He calls us blameless and pure.

If Our Lord and Savior can call us blameless and pure, what right do we have to say we cannot associate with someone because they are “a bad influence.” Just because we choose to love and help struggling people does not mean we must become like them, rather we must learn to relate to them and figure out the root of their problem. We are suppose to love them for who they are and exactly the person they are in the very moment, but always encourage them to grow and become the best person they can be. If you truly look at a person, like honestly and truly look deep in their eyes you will see the most beautiful twinkle in their eye, the light of their soul, the desire to be happy and to escape the struggles they are faced with.

This is where we come in to play. God has placed us on this earth to help each other because I am going to be honest, life is hard. God knew it would be hard and that is why he gave us each other, to hold each other accountable and to love each other through our problems. I can honestly and truly say that if it were not for the amazing people who stooped down and listened to me and genuinely cared for me, I do not think I would have made it through my struggles. I need you and you need me, it is that simple.

So to say “You become who you hang out with,” does not seem to make a whole lot of sense to me. Honestly I would be lucky to be like any one of you. You all have such amazing talents, gifts and strengths that I would benefit from. Like I said before though, we all struggle and obviously we do not want to struggle in any way so it is important to guard you heart from struggles and not let the devil tempt you into these struggle. It is also important, however, that we do not let the devil plant in our heart this fear that if we do get close to a hurting person that we will start to struggle in the same way they do. How can we ever expect them to grow in the person God has intended them to be if no one is willing to step in and pick this person up? To love them and to hold them and tell them they are so loved? Is this not what Jesus did? Did he not bend down and love and heal the broken, the prostitutes, the sick, the tax collectors and all of us? I do not know about you all but I am so undeserving of Jesus’s love, I am so broken and I fail Him every day, yet every day his picks me up out of my struggles and loves me the same as if I were a perfect person.

So to me this is what we have been called to do. To realize that everyone is so amazing and will contribute big things to the kingdom of God, some people just need help realizing their potential. When people say “You become who you hang out with,” take it as a compliment because every person is blameless and pure and a child of a forgiving and loving God.