Guardrails: Avoiding Regrets In Your LifeSample

Our greatest regrets are usually connected with people we’ve considered friends. Maybe yours is connected to a colleague, a classmate, or an ex-boyfriend. Maybe it’s a group of friends that, in hindsight, you wish you’d never met. Even if you were alone, chances are your greatest regret somehow grew out of a relationship. 

These ill-fated friendships have taught us (often the hard way) that our futures are impacted by the people we spend time with. This is why we need relational guardrails. 

Solomon, one of the wisest men who ever lived, wrote: "Walk with the wise and become wise . . ." In other words, wisdom is contagious. Do life with the wise and, over time, you’ll become wise. It happens automatically.

And there’s a second part: ". . . for a companion of fools suffers harm." When you hang out with a fool, you get caught up in the consequences of their bad decisions. You catch the shrapnel. Your reputation is ruined like his. You get fired like her. You aren’t invited next time either. 

Relational guardrails help us avoid "foolishness fallout." 

So, as you think about your friendships, here are three guardrails to consider. When one of these things occurs, let it light up your conscience before you suffer harm.

1. You catch yourself pretending to be someone other than who you really are.

2. Something that’s never been a temptation before is now something you’re considering. 

3. You hope the people you care about don’t know your whereabouts.

Remember, guardrails aren’t meant to declare something (or someone) right or wrong. They are meant to guide you back toward wisdom. So, are any of your friendships veering into the danger zone? Which guardrail are you bumping up against and what are you going to do about it?