“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”
— 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)
My friend April sent me the following saying last week and I thought, “That’ll preach!” “Sometimes people can’t see what’s wrong in their actions because they’re surrounded by those who make it feel normal.” I can’t watch the news anymore because it is full of behaviors that are unacceptable yet condoned by many. It just makes my heart hurt.
Often times, what blinds us to sin isn’t stubbornness—it’s our surroundings. When you’re in a culture that justifies gossip, greed, dishonesty, or disrespect, those things stop looking sinful and start feeling acceptable. What once might have pricked your conscience now blends into the background noise of the people you spend the most time with.
Paul warns us that the company we keep can either sharpen us or corrupt us. That doesn’t mean we isolate ourselves from the world—Jesus calls us to be lights in dark places—but it does mean we need to be intentional about who has influence in our lives. When our inner circle echoes the world instead of God’s Word, we risk normalizing sin and numbing our hearts to His truth.
The danger of sin isn’t just in doing wrong, it’s in not seeing it anymore. When wrong feels right, it does no one any good. This is why it is so important that we Shine, Shine, Shine!