The Company You Keep

You ever meet someone who just has a way of making everything… worse? Like, you could be having a good day, and the moment they open their mouth, suddenly you’re spiraling about things you weren’t even thinking about before? Yeah. Those people exist, and if you’re not careful, you’ll start seeing the world through their lens—dark, bitter, and full of drama.

The Bible is pretty clear about this:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” — Philippians 4:8

God literally tells us to focus on the good, but some people? They live to drag you into the mud.

Misery Loves Company (And It’s Recruiting Daily)

There’s a reason people say, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” You don’t just choose friends; you choose influences. And if someone is constantly negative, bitter, or messy, that stuff rubs off—whether you realize it or not.

I had a long-time friend who I thought had my back. We had history, inside jokes, and years of friendship that made it seem like she was part of my life for good. But slowly, I started noticing a pattern. Every time I was happy, she had a problem with it. Every time things were going well, she found a way to stir up doubt, drama, or just straight-up chaos.

It got worse when I got into a serious relationship. Instead of being happy for me, she went out of her way to be nasty to my husband—passive-aggressive comments, unnecessary tension, and straight-up disrespect. At first, I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I thought, Maybe she doesn’t realize how hurtful she’s being. So, I sat her down and had a real, heartfelt conversation. No accusations, no hostility—I just asked her to respect my husband and our relationship.

But nothing changed.

If anything, it got worse. More jabs, more tension, more blatant disregard for the fact that I had drawn a boundary. That’s when I realized something: she didn’t care. And no matter how much history we had, I couldn’t force someone to respect me or my marriage.

Protect Your Peace Like Your Life Depends on It (Because It Does)

And the funny thing? The people who judged me for walking away—who believed the “I turned my back on her” ,lie.—are now dealing with the exact same chaos I walked away from. Because when someone thrives on drama, manipulation, and destruction, they don’t stop just because their original target leaves. They just find new ones.

I learned something important through all of this: not everyone is meant to go where you’re going. Some people are seasonal, and when their time is up, you’ve got to be willing to let them go—no matter how long they’ve been around.

Proverbs 13:20 says,“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”

Who you allow close to you will either sharpen you or destroy you. If someone is constantly planting seeds of doubt, strife, and negativity, believe them the first time. You don’t have to make a dramatic exit, you don’t have to go scorched earth—but you do have to protect your peace.

At the end of the day, your life is too valuable to let someone else’s misery dictate your joy. Set the boundary. Let them think whatever they want. You’ll be too busy living in peace to care.