I am learning that the more I build people up the more God builds me up. I want to make people feel good about themselves. It seem like in the past I have been more concerned about others treating me right and others making me feel good. I want to be the giver not the taker. People are so wonderful, when I can look past the human error and faults that we all so obviously have, I can see the God - part in them. People created in the image of God. To see the elderly smile and hear the young children laugh. To absorb the energy of the teenagers and rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. This is more than money more than possessions more that accomplishments.

I didn't always think and feel like this. Don't get me wrong I still have a vision and I still want to do great things and see great things happen but my paradigm for living has slowly shifted over the years. People have become more important to me that everything else. I even wonder if the well known bible verse "seek ye first the Kingdom of God..." is not referring more to how we relate with others that to how much success we have and how much we accomplish. After all the great commandment was to love God and love others, not be successful and accomplish great things.

Anyway I really want to focus my time and energy on building up others. Through my words and through my actions. I have been abundantly and exceedingly blessed with cheerfulness, optimism and courage. God has given me a forgiving heart and a compassionate heart. I now ask myself how can I pass all of this on to others? There are so many people who suffer depression who live life with a pessimistic outlook and who live tormented by fear, I have something to impart to them. All that I have and all that I am comes from God, when you consider who and what I was before he found me, transformed me and blessed me with so much, you can understand why I feel the way I do.

So what can I do, what can we do to build others up. First of all is to make sure that we are not tearing each other up. There is a verse in the bible that says that if we bite each other to take care that we don't devour each other up. But how can we be intentional about building up others? I have some thoughts but I will hold them for now. I would like to hear some of your thoughts on this. What kind of things can we do to build up others. Give me your thought.

acassembly@aol.com