My mom had a thousand one-line sayings that have stuck with me over the years. One of them that I remember from about age 13 was, “You can pick your nose and you can pick your friends, but choose your friends carefully because you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” My mom had a memorable way of telling a 13-year-old that I had the ability to eliminate items from my person that were a problem or irritating but if my friend had a life issue, I would not be able to change them and it might influence me for life. The book of Proverbs says the same thing for adults, “A mirror reflects a man’s face but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses” Proverbs 27:19 (tlb). Wise leaders understand that positive or negative relationships will shape their leadership. Read 2 Chronicles 21.

Jehoshaphat is known as a godly king even with the weakness he displayed for unhealthy alliances. When he died his son Jehoram assumed the throne. Jehoram was one of the people directly affected by one of Jehoshaphat’s unhealthy alliances. Jehoram had an arranged marriage to Athaliah, King Ahab of Israel’s daughter. Ahab was one of the most evil kings ever to reign the Jewish people of the northern kingdom. Jehoram’s life shows the influence Athaliah had on his core values.