Real Love Can Lead To Real Change

It’s my belief that the number one lesson in life, the number one reason we are put on this earth, is to learn how to love. God is love and he wants you and I to be like him.
It's easy to love people you like, the people you find easy to get along with. So if we are going to learn real love, realize that God’s going to put you around unlovely people at times. That can be uncomfortable.

The good news is it's really not that hard. We underestimate the power of a kind word, a friendly smile, a pat on the back, a genuine compliment, a word of encouragement, and a listening ear. I've seen so many lives changed when somebody takes time to pay attention to them.

There is not a person on this planet who isn't starving for attention. But a caring person is hard to find.
The Apostle Paul once said this, "I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare" (Philippians 2:20 NLT).

Does that sound like your workplace? Everyone looking out for his/her own interests. Those who really care are really aware.

People need affirmation, attention, and affection. Learn to care about the people you work with and show them real love. It will change their live and it will change you!

So...how can you show someone real love at your place of work?

Does It Matter?

As I look around I can’t help but wonder if relationships and their worth are doomed. Do relationships really matter anymore? We say they do, but I don’t believe that’s true. At least for a lot of people. We seem to be busy doing things, but do the things we do really matter?

When i was experiencing a very difficult season in my life about 4 years ago, the help and encouragement I got did not come from the organized church I was a part of but a few relationships I had maintained over the last 20 years or so. I am so grateful that I had stayed connected to those people. Real relationships are truly the fabric that binds us to one another. Without meaningful relationships, life isn’t living and if you aren’t living you’re dying.

Maintaining and enhancing the quality of our relationships is the most important thing ever. In these times of financial up evil, our relationships should be a place where we should have solace. Banks folding, the stock market on what seems to be a never-ending yo-yo and skyrocketing unemployment, relationships seem to be one of the last bastions of individual freedom and control.

I know this sounds a bit “gloomy” and “dark” but too much attention is focused on items, situations and people that really don’t matter. Our attention has been diverted. We have been “flim-flamed” into believing that possessions of “stuff” will bring us what it is that we seek. I too engage in the “buying” of stuff. We all do but in the end it’s the interpersonal relationships in our lives that bring us fulfilment.

I’d encourage you today to look at your relationships. Without having the gumption and insight to affect change within your personal relationships, you will be a “relationship drifter”. You will continue to bounce from person to person never reaching a sense of emotional satiation or comfort. You are doomed to repeat the same patterns that have driven wedges between you and those that you wanted to love but didn’t know how to connect with.

Let’s face it, when it’s all said and done, nothing will matter more than the value and depth of the relationships that you created. Do relationships really matter? They should to all of us!

What changes should you make in your life order to build healthier relationships?

The Power Of Generosity

A while back my family and I experienced some very difficult times. We were having health and financial problems that were beyond our control. We received some help, not from a church or institution, but from a few generous people who stepped in. Because of those caring people, I’m a better person today. I’m a more generous individual.

I think people whose lifestyles are marked by generosity become miraculous forces for good in the world, inviting God’s love to flow through them and into the lives of other people to change them for the better. You can become one of those people!

Here are five steps I am developing to become a more generous person:

Let gratitude lead to generosity. Make an inventory list of your blessings, taking a few minutes to write down everything you can think of for which you’re grateful (from your friends and family members to the food you eat and the air you breathe). Then study the list to realize how much you have. In gratitude, let your response be generous giving.

Decide to serve a cause that’s greater than your own life: making the world a better place. Reach out to other people -- rather than resenting the time, energy, money, and inconveniences that can be involved. I would just start with one person or maybe one family. Keep it simple.

Help other people regardless of your current circumstances. If you don’t have much money, you could give some of your time. If you possess a special talent, consider how to use it to contribute to others. There is always make a way for you and I to give.

Incorporate service into your lifestyle. Look for opportunities  to help meet needs every day. Be creative about ways to fit more service into your life, such as by transforming some of your daily activities into acts of service or using money you would have spent to buy something for yourself to buy a gift for someone else instead.

Look beyond just those you love. Don’t limit your generosity only to the people you know and love. Also be willing to reach out to strangers, people who make you uncomfortable, and those who can’t reciprocate. Challenge yourself to remember that, if you believe God has made every human being on the planet in his image , you need to reach out to all the people you encounter with his love. When you do, miracles may happen in the lives of the people you help, and in your own life, as well.

This is still a work in progress in my life but I’m seeing cool things happen.
Do you have any creative ideas on how to be a more generous person?