Finding the right people and protecting yourself from the wrong people, Part 4
“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”
― Albert Einstein
This last principle is tough. I’d rather not bring it up but to miss this principle is to endanger your very well-being, both in this life and the life to come.
Let’s quickly review the template that Solomon laid out to help us find the right people and protect ourselves from the wrong people in Proverbs 6:12-15):
#1 Listen. Do this long enough and a person will tell you plainly whether or not you should hang around with them.
#2: Watch. Eventually, no matter what people say, they will show you by their deeds whether or not you should include or exclude them from your inner circle.
#3: Monitor the drama level. High drama inevitably brings high risk. A person who is always involved in some kind of drama will bring that drama into your life with them. Your life is complicated enough without someone bringing more complication into it; stay clear of Drama Junkies.
And now #4: Avoid evil people.
They have a “perverted heart which devises evil.”
Proverbs 6:14
Most of us are basically decent people. Yes, we’re sometimes selfish and self-centered but at the end of the day, we don’t mind extending a helping hand and we don’t like to see others suffer.
But there really and truly are evil and wicked people in the world who don’t mind – even count on – taking advantage of others to benefit themselves. Even worse, there are people who harm others just for the fun of it.
They often look sophisticated and cultured. They speak softly, sincerely, and oh so convincingly, but they are deceptive and do not have your best interest at heart. The Bible describes them as brutes and despisers of good, without natural affections (2 Timothy 3:3-5).
I wish it was not so.
I wish we did not have to always be on guard.
But we do. We live in a fallen world and thus evil people are a reality that we must be on guard for.
But, we must not lose hope.
There are good people out there. People who are kind, generous, loyal, and caring. People who will be true-blue friends, friends for life, friends who stand with you when all others turn away. Friends who will be there to the very end.
The best way to find these rare and most-precious friends is to be one yourself, for over the long haul, we attract what we are.
The ONE THING for today: Our level of happiness and success is largely dependent upon the people who are closest to us. So, it is important that we be very intentional about who we allow to become a part of our inner circle of friends and associates.
