Photo Courtesy: photostream Center for Jewish History

Things that will affect you and who you become… so choose them carefully:

1. Friends.  Whoever they are, your companions will shape your thoughts, your perspective of the world around you and the direction you head in life.  To think that you will always be able to affect the negatives for good without ever surrounding yourself with some uplifting characters is foolish.  You need to pour good things into your soul as you go out to others and try to encourage them for good.  If the largest portion of your friends are not going the same direction as you…. Is it wise to believe that you will get where you would ultimately like to go?
2. Your career.  Now, this is a sensitive one, especially to me.  I believe there can be good and ill in any career you choose, but you may have more control than you think.  It is interesting to me that people seem to single out the creative worlds as being worldly when no one is ok with saying that a doctor who works to the neglect of his family or someone who lets a pursuit of anything choke out their spiritual health is not hurting themselves too.  So before you decide what you will do- whatever it be- think about how you can use it as your ministry for good and service.  What about you and your talents lend themselves to being really great in that market or in that workplace?  How can use them show light to the world in any way?
3. Your go-to places.  Where you go defines who you are.   Where are your hobby hangouts, your settings, your spheres of influence?  They tell a lot about you.  From to gyms to venues to service organizations, people will learn a lot about you from where you frequent.  Are you a healthy eater, a big coffee drinker, a late night snacker?  These choices will be evident by your hangouts and your credit card bill.  That being said, take a moment to think about how the places you go affect your life, your decisions, whether you are uplifted because of them or they are pulling you away from good and God?  For me, I have to carefully consider the places I hang out in regards to my music to determine whether they are keeping me walking the line or whether they are helping me drift a little farther away from where I should be.

Let’s all spend time carefully considering whether our choices are manifesting the good that resides in us or whether we don’t give much thought to them at all.  Walk circumspectly… and go about your day doing good to all. 🙂

Love you,

leah