Good Circles

I have noticed something about people.
And honestly, about myself too.

We tend to pair up.
We settle into little circles.
We find the folks who feel familiar.
The ones who laugh like we do.
The ones who seem to speak our language.

It is natural.
It is human.
It is part of how friendship works.

But over the years, I have seen something else.

Every circle faces a temptation.
If we are not paying attention, the conversation can drift toward people who are not in the room.
Not with malice.
Just small comments.
Little observations that feel harmless at first.

But once a group leans that direction, it becomes a slope that is hard to stop.
A few remarks turn into patterns.
Patterns turn into habits.
And before long, the circle closes in on itself.
Us and them.
In and out.
My group and their group.

I have learned to watch for that.
To guard my thoughts and intentions.

Because who I walk with matters more than I usually admit to myself.
The people I keep close should lift my eyes.
They should help me see others with grace.
They should draw me toward integrity, not away from it.

I have been blessed to belong to some of the most amazing circles.
Circles that do something beautiful.
They stay open.
They speak life.
They leave people better when the talk is over.
They encourage a kind of character that honors what is good even when no one is watching.

That is the kind of friend I want to be.
And the kind of circle I want to build.
One where anyone who walks up feels seen instead of analyzed.
Valued instead of measured.

If we get that right, we will walk a little closer to the heart of Jesus.
And the people around us will feel the difference.

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