Strange Company
January 1, 1970
One thing most evident in our shifting way of life is the severing of old ties, and uprooting from things to which we have been long attached. With so many people moving from place to place, the steadying influence of friends and family and familiar places is often left behind. When acquaintance is well rooted and enjoys natural growth, people are likely to find themselves in the company of those
with whom they have much in common. But when suddenly someone is moved among strangers, in the quick grasping for new associations mistakes may be made, mistakes that lead to incompatible
company, wrong habits, careless attitudes – and sometimes unsuitable associations. For a seasoned
traveler, or a mature person, often it isn’t difficult to appraise people after brief association; but to
young people, lonely, and far removed from the counsel and company they have been accustomed to,
the old idea of “any port in a storm” – any friend in an unknown town – is often the forerunner of unfortunate consequences, because people tend to takes on the characteristics of the company they
keep. The first of all the Psalms take note of this in its caution against bad association: “Blessed is the
man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.” The writer of Proverbs also thus expressed himself: “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us,… cast in thy lot among us;… My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil… Walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous… Whoso hearkeneth… shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” Here then is wise counsel. When we find ourselves in strange company we should be careful whom we take into our confidence–careful in our company and in our conduct.