He who walks with wise men will be wise. But the companion of fools will suffer harm. Proverbs 13:20

Play with your marshmallows, any size. Kids can do whatever they like with them, but eventually they are going to get quite sticky. Great! This week we’re praying for wisdom to choose good friends, and the more sticky their fingers are the better.

In Proverbs 13 (above) we are warned to choose to be around wise people. Ask the kids who would be wise choices for friends? Do they honor God? Are they obedient? Do they lie? How do you feel when you are around them?  Friends are like sticky marshmallows, the more we’re around them the more they stick to us, and we stick to them.  We should try to to spend time with people we want to be like. Make plans to visit with them soon.

Likewise, if we hang around with people who aren’t wise, they will also stick onto us, and that can be difficult to get off. Sometimes good people change and become fools because of their choices. Ask the children if they can think of any examples where good or bad behavior has stuck to them after being around someone. Picking up bad words or jokes are common, as is sarcasm or a disrespect for authority. On the positive side, perhaps kindness, patience or generosity has stuck to your kids from someone else. Nobody is perfect, or course, and everybody has issues they’re working on, but overall negative patterns suggest a strong friendship is maybe not a good idea right now.

Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals. 1 Corinthians 15:33

We need to be careful who we invite into our lives.