Ever experienced a sudden attitude shift – in you, in another?
One of the things we can be sure of is that our attitude can shift rather rapidly. Have you ever taken a stand on an issue then watched as other’s attitude toward you changed almost immediately upon their discovering your position? I am not trying to pick a fight here, but it happens. Doesn’t it?
What about the shift in your attitude when you came to understand and embrace Jesus Christ and HIs Good News, Gospel? Did you begin to notice your mind changing about things that once upon a time you hardly noticed, but now you noticed them in bold relief? How about your attitude toward certain actions, words, or attitudes that were once a part of your everyday experience, but you now began moving away from them?
What do we do about the people and places that were part of our old life, but now either no longer want to be in your circle or seem to no longer fit well into your new life? Who was in your circle but now is out? Where did you go regularly but now you don’t? What habits were part of your daily routine but are no longer wanted or are simply not there any more? How have you changed? What about you has changed?
I know I have been asking a ton of questions. Let’s check some of our answers. If you are a follower of Christ, changing friends might not have been an option for you. They may have left you behind because you no longer fit into their lifestyle or definition of “fun”. You may have moved away from some people or changed the places you frequented because you knew that not changing would mean you would fall into a trap and get caught up in sin.
Even now might be a good time to re-evaluate. Are you in a position to go after some of those old friends and invite them into your new circle of influence? Maybe you are strong enough to control the situation rather than be controlled. Some people may not want to be our friends now or at least not yet, but others may have reached the conclusion that their lifestyle apart from God is a dead end. They may be looking for answers now rather than thinking they already have all the answers…just as we did at one time.
A friend from long ago in our Tennessee era, came to Jesus Christ and experienced a change in his life that took him away from drinking and the bar scene. He knew it wasn’t for him any longer. He was convinced that he needed to go to one of his former drinking buddies to invite him out of that life and to consider accepting God’s gift of salvation through faith. My friend did spend time inviting the other guy to consider Christ. The man wanted to no part of Jesus. He was “fine where he was”. My friend ( I will call him John) was heart-sick because he’d introduced this guy to alcohol and now the alcohol had imprisoned the man.
Are there those in your life who need an invitation to a new friendship with you, now that you are a new person in Jesus Christ? Are there those in your life that you know are too strong of a wrong influence, and you need to limit time with them or always have others around to help you be strong in the Lord?
Our attitude about this idea makes a huge difference. Either I will have an attitude of submission to God and give Him control, or I may adopt the attitude that “I can handle it. I don’t need God telling me anything.” Would you pray about God’s will for you regarding trying to connect with friends who may have been left behind?
I once developed a list of the types of friends / acquaintances I need to have in my life. It went something like this:
People to Have in My Life
- A good friend who has positive influence on me.
- An older godly person who can mentor me.
- A person who needs a friend and may be a challenge to love.
- A younger person for whom I can serve as a mentor or a positive influence.
By the way – you don’t have to tell your friends which number they are…especially #3. 🙂
I don’t know if this is a biblical list but it has seemed to be a good thing for me down through the years. Maybe it will help you too.