To be a Turkey – Hang Out with Turkeys

Lately my blogs have been about our tight relationship with Jesus. I’ve written about keeping our eyes on Him, listening for His voice, hanging out with Him daily in prayer and in His Word, and overall doing what He did. WWJD!

If I am sincerely investing in my relationship with Him, I know my mindset will be on things that matter and less on things that are pointless and lifeless.

Maybe it’s because Thanksgiving Day will soon be here and I might be thinking about that yummy turkey and dressing meal! Now, that’s a turkey I can hang out with and enjoy. I smell it cooking even now. Yum!

“To be a turkey, hang out with turkeys”. Every day we have a choice in the company we keep. You’ve likely heard this old cliché: “You can’t soar with eagles if you’re running with the turkeys.”

The truth is if we are investing our time in mindless chatter and lackluster conversations, our mindset could easily be null and void of what matters most. Certain relationships could simply drag us down.

If we hang out with people who have no ambition, we’ll have no ambition. If we hang out with critical people, we’ll become critical. The people we spend the most time around will influence what we become like on a day-to-day basis.

The Bible tells us this about our spiritual growth: “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

That’s why it’s so important to spend time with Jesus every day. Our spiritual growth depends upon it. We become more like Jesus when we spend time with Him.

Believe me. Personal experience speaking. When we wallow in self-pity; when we are entertaining negative thoughts that the enemy of our souls brings to our minds; when we spend more time watching movies and shows that are more about killing and cheating and harming, then we are subjecting ourselves to “hanging out with turkeys”.

I don’t know about you, but I want to live in peace and harmony, joy and goodness so I know I must daily monitor what and who are the “turkeys” in my life. I want to influence them so they will choose soaring with eagles instead of turkeys.

I highly recommend finding a special spot to spend time with God each day. He is that EAGLE that takes us higher, makes us stronger, and living in the “peace zone”. Maybe start with five, 10, or 15 minutes a day. It doesn’t matter when or where – a favorite chair or a place of comfort – maybe outdoors. Just do it!

Even Jesus made a habit of going to a place where He could talk with His Heavenly Father. Luke 22:39 describes Him going to the Mount of Olives to pray “as usual”.

If Jesus made it a point to spend time with His Father, shouldn’t that be a habit that would benefit us too? It’s the best way to become more like Him – soaring with eagles and just maybe we’ll influence those turkeys around us to become more like Him, too!