Who Is On Your Cheer Team?

As iron sharpens iron,
   so one person sharpens another. 
As water reflects the face,    so one’s life reflects the heart.  --Proverbs 27:17, 19

Who are the people who a) have the most access to you, and b) have your ear talking to you about yourself the most?  What do these people tell you about who you are?  Do they encourage, or do they discourage?  Do they bring insight, energy, and life to you?  Or, do they drain, take, and leave you frustrated and sad?

All the people in our life should not and will not ever be 100% encouraging and uplifting.  Everyone has times that they can't be!  But, a goal might be to have four or five people that you regularly talk to and/or see who leave you feeling good about yourself and motivated to be a bigger, more ambitious person.  The more of these kind of people by whom you are surrounded, the less tired and discouraged you will find yourself.  

What kind of person are you being to the people you consider friends?  Again, do you encourage or discourage?  Are you positive or negative?  Do you inspire or do you whine down the droning complaining-about-everything road?  Are your friends happy to see you coming, or are they thinking, "Oh dear, here he/she comes again.  Don't I have a dentist appointment?"

As iron on iron sharpens, so the others in our lives sharpen us.  Look at the balance of people you have in your life and ask yourself how you might shift the balance from having too many who take away our edge to those who give you a sharper control of your life.

The first person in each of our lives should be Jesus Christ.  What kind of quality time are you sharing with Him?  What kind of access and ear do you give to Him to have a sway, a word, an influence in your life?  

The reality of Jesus Christ in your life, the type of people who surround us are a reflection of our hearts.  Our hearts get reflected outward by and through the people with whom we have influence and positive relationships.  It's always a good day to change!  If you are too weighed down by too many in your life with burdens, either find a way to reduce this drain, or find a way to increase the influence and presence of the positive and uplifting aspects.  Take more time to turn burdens over to where they primarily belong -- with God, and spend more time feeding on Him in your soul.  Take the time to pray -- not simply dumping problems on Him, but also genuinely listening, worshiping, and being grateful.  God probably likes some positivity and expressed faith now and again from you as well.