Who you are today can be directly attributed to the quality and health of your relationships. Who you’ll become tomorrow will likewise be determined by the quality and health of your relationships. That’s the power of relationships; it’s an inescapable principle of life. 

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. 

– Proverbs 13:20 NIV

As I think about my life today, I am by no means close to being perfect, but who I am and what I do is a direct result of the people I choose to surround myself with. At a very young age I had the privilege of walking with some amazing men and women, people like evangelist Nicky Cruz and his wife Gloria, my father Bobby Cruz, and my mother Rose Marie just to mention a few. But it wasn’t their intelligence or knowledge that impacted me most, it was the direction of their lives that impacted me the most. You can walk with very knowledgeable people but if they’re moving in the wrong direction more than likely they will adversely impact your life. It’s not just about choosing to walk with smart people it’s about choosing to walk with wise people. Those are the ones who are obviously not perfect but know what’s right and strive to do what is right. 

Being that the people you choose to relate with will have a profound impact on the quality and direction of your life, you should choose to relate with those who have chosen a wise course for their lives. Now, I think I know what some of you may be thinking, that’s easy for you because you have a Nicky, Gloria, and your parents in your life. But again, it’s not their intelligence or their fame that has influenced me the most, it’s the direction they’ve chosen to walk in that has most influenced me. And, as a pastor I can tell you that many churches are full people like this. No, not necessarily famous but yes, wise. Some are very knowledgeable others less but they’re wise because they’ve decided to serve Jesus. You should get to know some of them and even hang out with some of them. They’re the ones who roll up their sleeves and consistently follow Jesus. If you choose to walk with some of these men and women of all ages they’ll probably have a profound and positive impact on you and eventually will dramatically improve the course of your life.