"Kindred" spirits

All right, let me say first that this stuff is NOT in the Bible. Purely drawing-conclusions-as-I-process-what-I'm-seeing. So dogmatism is not allowed. Basically, the scriptures are silent about this sort of thing, so I'm just reporting as an Experienced Guesser. Dig?

All right.

Dave Schuster was asking me about the subject of 'kindred' spirits the other day. We've observed, and heard from other people, too, that there's an attraction between people who house the same evil spirits. Rebellious people flock together. All the self-hatred kids at high school wear their black clothes together in the same corner of the cafeteria. All the kids who deal with the pride/insecurity cocktail hang out. Addicts find each other at parties. People who want to have sex find each other. (I always wondered why I didn't have all these opportunities for sex like other people I knew, or like you see on TV. It's because that stronghold isn't in me and, when somebody whose eaten up with fornication is on the prowl, they go looking for somebody ELSE who's eaten up with fornication. And that ain't me. I have my OWN issues...)

There's a real comfort in being around people who struggle with the same stuff-a not-healthy kind of comfort. (Now, if you're above board, and both pursuing God with all your heart, it can be really good--think of AA.) More likely, though, these folks let each other off the hook in all sorts of ways: "Well, at least you did heroin you got from somebody you can TRUST. And you didn't hurt anybody else, right?" or whatever. We're great at feeling justified in OUR sin by letting the OTHER person off the hook. Makes us feel like our stuff is okay, too. We also need people be aware of our sin who don't have struggle in that area. Like:

I was talking to a friend a couple of months ago who said, "My girlfriend and I have decided to not have sex anymore. But we still mess up. Like last weekend, I mean, we were making out and we got naked..." I yelled "WHAT!??!"

He later said, "Hey I really appreciate your reaction. Most of the people I'm around don't blink at that; they think it's weird we don't just go all the way whenever we want."

Now that guy NEEDS people like ME around- his reference point bites! So if all he does is hang around with people who're sleeping around, what do you think he's going to do when he's tempted? *I* think he's going to have sex.

So the better idea is to be aware of your strongholds and be wary of close relationships with folks who have the same issues. Just know that it's dangerous. You'll give each other "grace" that's really excused sin. Not okay, obviously...