Peer Pressure

We tend to think that peer pressure is something that only teenagers struggle with. The reality, though, is that at all ages we tend to be affected by the behavior of the people around us - for good or bad.

In San Marcos, California, three hundred households were given information about how much energy they used. At the same time they were also given accurate information about how much energy their neighbors used. On the positive side, those who were large energy consumers tended to reduce their usage. But on the negative side, those who had been conserving energy ended up using more energy when they discovered that their neighbors weren't conserving.

In Hebrews 10:24-25 we read: "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

In our lives, are we allowing the negative thoughts and behaviors of the people around us to drag us down? Or do we make use of the opportunities we have to change the thoughts and behaviors of the people around us for the better? Every day there are occasions where God makes it possible for us to exert positive peer pressure. Don't let those opportunities pass you by.

Ed Bowen

Ed Bowen