If you know me at all, you know that I love being around people. I live on a dorm floor with about seventy other girls, and I love every moment of it. But there is one thing in which I have learned when it comes to people, and that is, you are most like who you hang around the most. When you hang out with someone who is sarcastic, you will find yourself becoming sarcastic, and so on and so forth.
I see an example of this in the Bible in the first chapter of Daniel. Here, the Bible tells us about four young jewish men who were just pulled from their homeland and placed in a wicked pagan environment. We learn the names of the young men in verse six: “Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:” As one reads on to verse eight, they find Daniel’s resolution: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” We do not read about Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah making a similar resolution, but as one continues to read they see how Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah do not eat of the kings meat or drink of the wine. So where did Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah make a resolution like Daniel did? We do not read of any in the Scripture, but they had a friend who made such a resolution. They shared in Daniel’s blessing, because they had a friend who was willing to take a stand for right no matter the cost. I often find myself wondering if they were not friends with Daniel, would there be a Daniel 3 where we read of the famous three men who stood while all others bowed?
Friends have a huge impact on our lives and most of the time we cannot even see the impact in which they have upon us. I have heard it often said, “You are who your friends are.” It is a truthful statement indeed about friendship.
