One of the most interesting aspects of nature is the phenomenon of adaptation. 

When we look at the universe, one fundamental truth is evident:

Where you abide is what you become.

For example, there are frogs in certain parts of the world who, because their environment is so cold, are able to actually freeze over half of their bodies to protect themselves from the frigid temperatures. 

There are also fish like the cuttlefish who are able to adapt to their environment by camouflaging themselves to look like coral or other elements around them so they can survive.

There are tons of examples in nature of plants and animals that have adapted to their environment, and there have also been study after study showing that humans behave in the same way.

For example, studies have found that whenever an individual with mild opinions about a topic gets into a group where the opinions on that topic are more extreme than theirs, the individual is more likely to come out of that group with more extreme viewpoints.

In another experiment, a national park had been using a sign to prevent theft that said, “Your heritage is being vandalized every day by theft losses of petrified wood of 14 tons a year, mostly a small piece at a time.”

By removing the sign, theft actually decreased by one-third. 

The implication is that the sign, which was intended to cause the visitor to feel aware and ashamed for the theft, actually served as social proof and made them feel as though it was an environment conducive to theft.

Time and time again, observations of science and nature show that it’s your environment that has the greatest impact on your behavior. 

Jesus taught this concept to his followers. 

He had a peculiar way of “converting” people to his way of thinking. 

Instead of trying to convince them, he simply invited them to be around him. 

He had meals with them and taught them bite-size lessons in the midst of him traveling and healing and loving people.

Then he said this to give us a clue as to what he was up to:

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.” (John 12:26)

Catch that – wherever he IS, his servant will also be. 

It wasn’t so much that his servants would try to mimic him; it was that they would be with him, in his environment.

Then he spelled it out even clearer for us when he said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Notice what he asked of them: to simply be with him and abide in him.

Not to do a list of things, become a better version of themselves, or become something they weren’t.

Just abide – meaning to remain – in him, completely engulfed in the environment and culture he created.

The implications are simple yet profound:

Environment is everything.

But that’s not how we usually think about it.

When we have a problem, we look for the information that’s going to help us solve it. 

We look for the solution, when most of the time, our solution has more to do with where we’re spending time – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually – than anything we can do directly.

But think about this:

The quickest way to melt an ice cube isn’t to break it into a million pieces. The quickest way to melt an ice cube is to place it in hot water.

Find a better environment before you look for answers.

Sometimes just being in the right place with the right people is the right answer.

And it’s not because you’re better at solving your problems. It’s because you’re finally in the right places focusing on the right things.

Because where you abide is what you become.