In Good Company

I've heard through the years a lot about the importance of who I spend time with day to day. There is the idea that you can tell a lot about a person by who is around them. There is also the idea that you become like the 5 people you spend are around the most. Keeping good company appears to be very important.

I used to be a very social person. I still am to an extent, though I value my alone time much more than I did in college. I've noticed a distinct change in the people I hang out with though. In high school and college, I worked hard to be accepted by the company I felt I should keep. This meant compromising my morals and values to fit in sometimes. Alcohol made it easier to hang out with people who I wouldn't normal "fit" with so I could be part of the group. I would go along with what guys wanted in order to not be "that girl" and to feel accepted.

Somewhere along the way I realized I was becoming like those I spent my time with each day.  I wasn't growing in my faith, in fact I quit going to church at all after befriending some outspoken atheists. I was drinking more, smoking cigarettes more, and honestly debating weed for the first time ever.

Moving to North Carolina, I knew I wanted to get connected to good company. I had rekindled my relationship with Jesus over the summer, and so I quickly sought after a church family. Multiple times throughout the Old and New Testament, we hear about the importance of communing with brothers and sisters in Christ. While we are told to go out in to the world and be a testimony, I have realized the importance of having good company by your side both when you go and when you come home.

I am very thankful for the good company I have found both in my peers at Salem College and at Ardmore UMC. I feel supported and welcomed without judgment. Sometimes it's better to be surrounded by a small group of good company than part of a large crowd pulling you away from yourself.