I’ve been pondering this question for the last couple of weeks. Do people feel better or worse for spending time with me?
What about you? Do people feel better or worse from spending time with you?
Maybe it’s easier and a lot less confronting for us to ask this question of other people rather than ourselves. Do you know people that you seem to avoid or limit spending time with because after you have, you feel emotionally exhausted?
On the other hand, there may be people that you are magnetically drawn to. When you’re with them you feel invigorated, challenged and inspired and you want to spend more time with them.
Which would you rather be?
I think all of us would rather have a positive impact on people rather than a negative one. We would rather attract people than repel them.
Our interactions with people are so many and varied, from a couple of minutes at a shopping center checkout to hours of time spent in friendship.
No matter what type of interaction, the key to being a magnetic person is the way in which we treat that person in the interaction.
So what is it about the way we treat them that is so impacting?
The reality is that it’s more about the other person than about us. We all have a deep need to feel valued and appreciated. Because of this need, when someone interacts with us in a way that we feel valued and appreciated we are attracted to them. We often look forward to seeing them even if it is only for a short amount of time.
I often see this outplay with people in retail. They have a tough job and a lot of the time they are ignored or abused by customers. I have seen their countenance completely change from receiving a simple smile or a word of appreciation which helps them to feel valued and appreciated. That is the key to being a positive impact on other people’s lives.
I wonder what an impact it would make if we decided to be intentional about communicating value to other people. It’s a biblical truth that we so often overlook because we get caught up in what we want and need.
Philippians 2:3-4 challenges us to think of others more highly than ourselves and to not only look out for our own interests but the interests of others.
The reality is that we can be so focused on ourselves and thinking about the things that we want that we don’t even consider what others are going through.
Valuing people more highly than we value ourselves opens the door to impacting relationships.
One of my goals this year is to be the type of person that people feel better after being with me. I believe that reflects God’s heart and it will open up opportunities for lives to be influenced and changed.
Lord,
I need You to help me to die to myself. I need help to be able to let go of my needs and trust them to You. That way I can be free to share Your love with others and make them feel valued.
Amen
Comentarios