Association Defined
Association according to the 8th Edition of
the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary is a connection or relationship between
people. It is quite unfortunate that humanity even in modern times as in time
past have not really understood the power of association and how it influences
our lives and affects our destiny. Our ancestors must be biting their fingers in
their graves feeling very bitter as their children never really seem to learn
from their mistakes of getting into the wrong association and its unpleasant
effect. Many people carelessly plunge into relationships that don’t add value
to them and end up not attaining the height of greatness that God had planned
for them. Continue after the cut...
The Effects of Association – Who leads you?
Recently, I was confronted with a question with
respect to what leadership expert Dr. Myles Munroe said in his book - The spirit of Leadership, which was “an
army of sheep led by a lion will always defeat an army of lions led by a
sheep.” Now, the question was how possible is it that an army of sheep led
by a lion will defeat an army of lions led by a sheep? The answer was already
hidden in the question and all I had to do was to unveil it. The army of sheep
led by lion will surely come out victorious because they got into a
relationship with a force that have the capacity to transfer to them the DNA of
a warrior and conqueror. They made up their mind to have the right friend who
had attributes of great value and importance that it could offer to them and
that’s why they made the lion their leader. The army of lions led by a sheep
must have asked themselves questions such as; “how did we lose?”, “we are
lions, we have all the potentials and qualities needed to crush our foes, but
how did this happen?” and so on, but the answer is simply because they kept the
wrong association. It is not in the DNA of a sheep to be hostile and aggressive
and so all they learnt under the leadership of a sheep was invalid in
fulfilling the task ahead of them. The lions may have also attempted to attack
the sheep but discover they could not. Why would it be so? You may ask. It is
because their DNA has been altered to that of a sheep from prolonged
association with the sheep.
The Effects of Association – Who are your friends?
There are two kinds of friends we keep around us; friends
that make us and friends that mar us. Friends that make us are those that bring
out the best in us and propel us to tap into the hidden treasures and energy
that are hidden and lies dormant within us which are our potential and gifts.
They make us develop confidence in our abilities and help to channel our energy
to greatness. The lion that led the army of sheep was that kind of a friend. It
is necessary that you understand that for the lion to be able to LEAD the army
of sheep it must have known them individually and understood their distinct
personalities making him a friend. Leadership expert John C. Maxwell says “a boss says GO but a leader says LETS GO”.
This clearly differentiates a leader and a boss showing their peculiar
characteristics. Observe that Dr. Myles Munroe did not say an army of sheep
taking orders from a lion but an army led by a lion. By implication, your
friends play a crucial role in the fulfillment of your destiny. The lion helped
the army of sheep’s to achieve what looked impossible in their sight. That is
the power of association with the right friends. They connected with a force
that had the same mindset and goals as they had and ultimately came out
victorious and stronger than they were before. Of a truth, your contact
determines your condition.
If you get in contact with a force that is bent on
greatness, as iron sharpeneth iron, naturally you would find yourself walking
the path of greatness. This principle have revolutionized the thought pattern
of many and kicked them from the point of inferiority to that of superiority.
The sheep that led the army of lions are friends that do quite the opposite of
what the lion did to the army it led. They take away the good in you and leave
you empty. They divert you away from your purpose in life and make you a
liability to the society. The lions had no business learning how to be meek.
That quality would not give them the desired result they expect and that is why
they lost. It is unfortunate that most people keep such friends around them
without knowing it. They place people in their inner circle without due consideration
of what they will add to their lives and by implication house a fiend instead
of a friend. If you keep such a person in your inner circle, I strongly
recommend that you end such a friendship, as in the long run, the fruits of
such association will cause you pain and regret. Many people give excuses why
certain people are in their lives when people tell them to break free from such
associations. The book of Luke 6:43 says “a healthy tree does not bear a bad
fruit, nor does a poor tree bear good fruit”. Stop making excuses and do the
right thing for your future and destiny.
The Power of Influence – Why work below your potentials?
Dr.
Myles Munroe once shared a story of what he heard when he visited the continent
of the cradle of humanity, Africa. He said, he was told a story of how a young
lad climbed a very tall mountain and took the egg of an eagle. The lad came
down from the mountain and kept the eagles egg with the eggs of a hen that he
had nurtured for many years. When the eggs hatched, the eaglet walked like a chicken,
ate like them and behaved like them but a day came when it saw an eagle soring
high in the sky and examining itself, discovered that it looked exactly like
the eagle it saw a few seconds ago and began pondering “why am I limiting
myself and my potentials?” Stretching forth its wings and attempting to fly,
the eagle failed a couple of times, yet it wasn’t discouraged. Finally, raising
its head up high and wings wide open, the eagle began to flap its wings with
great energy and in no time it was soaring in the sky, just like God designed
it to. We were all made for greatness.
Never allow yourself to be held back by
people who don’t strive to be great. I’m sure that the other chicks said things
like “you’re a chick and not an eagle”, “you don’t have what it takes” and so
on, but the young eagle was determined and bent on exploring its gifts. If
people have decided to limit their potentials, don’t spend your time with them,
they only make you like them. The eagle developed the characteristics of a
chicken because of its association with them but on realizing that it could be
so much more than what he presently was, it broke out of its association with
the little chicks and never regretted it. You too can be better than how you
are now. Make conscientious effort to ensure that the people you keep around
you either add to or multiply the good values in you and not divide or subtract
from what God has placed in you. Remember that your friends can either be the
best thing that can happen to you or the worst thing. Choose the right friends
today and see this power work miracles in your life.
Article Written by Victor M. Irtwange (CLICK HERE to read about him)
Emmanuel A. Ahmadu
Leadersmanna
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