Influence / Achievement
What/Who did you make better today?
In a world that has infected many of us with the "me, myself, & I" syndrome, most of us never think about how we may improve someone else's life, only our own. Personally, over the past year I have begun to understand how important it is to "pour into someone else." In the past, I'm not sure my motives for "pour into others" has always been genuine - normally there is some benefit that will result from my actions either in the present or later in the future. It was almost like I was making deposits in the "Bank of Good Deeds" so when I needed to make a withdrawal I would have no problem - because I have "paid my dues." But keeping score isn't a moral or Godly way of pouring yourself into others.
In my life I have had great firsthand examples of pouring into others and enhancing the lives of others - just for the sake of doing so. My grandparents, on both sides of my family, are in my eyes the ultimate examples of "giving of yourself." My mother's mom (who is now deceased) was a woman that was always doing for someone else. She never had a lot money or material possessions, but that never stopped her from giving her time, her advice, feeding others & etc. My father's parents (whom are still alive) have poured into the lives of so many people that they have more "children" than the law allows (LOL). My grandmother will feed anybody that comes through those front doors, and will make sure you have a plate to take with you. But yet as much as she cooks, feeds others, and gives away food, there never seems to be a lack or shortage at anytime. The more they give, the more they have to give. David's words in Psalms 37:25 certainly ring true, " I have been young, and now I am old; yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread." As we pour ourselves into others and make others better, God will continue to pour into us and make us better. A closed fist cannot give nor can it receive; a full glass cannot be poured into. As long as our fists remain closed and our glasses remain full, we cannot / will not enhance our lives nor the lives of the others the we encounter daily.
Last year my grandfather retired from pastoral service, and I was the "chairman" of the committee who organized the events to celebrate his 40+ years of pastoral service. One of the nights of the revival I invited Pastor Thaddeus Jones and he said something in his sermon that still rings fresh in my ears today. "...the true mark of a man's success, is having a successor." WOW...that statement hit me like a ton of bricks. In essence Pastor Jones was saying that if you are not pouring yourself into another, or into others, then your life has been spent in vain, because once your time is done all you have worked for will pass away and be blown away like chaff in the wind. The greatest joy and jubilation is knowing in your heart, that you have not run this race in vain and you can confidently pass the mantle on to the next generation and they will take things to heights that your "...eye[s] have not seen, nor [your] ear[s] heard..." (1 Corinthians 2:9)
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