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Perceptions #200131
"A Rising Tide"
by Joel Mark Solliday
Some people act like stinkers mostly because they are lousy thinkers!
Here's a classic example of stinking thinking: Other people's gain necessarily means my loss! Does a general gain in wealth for some necessarily result in a loss for others? Not necessarily. In the big picture, employment rates and the economy tend to grow for all when prosperity comes to some. Seeing the big picture often reduces our envy.
Some of us may think that if other local churches grow, ours might suffer. We envy their crowds. We fail to fellowship with them fully, fearing that our sheep may be tempted to wander. Actually, our sheep may wander anyway.
Some think that there's only so much love, grace and joy to go around and if others get too much of it, we will miss out. Thus, we hold back. We compare and calculate. We keep score. Grace suffocates and so do we.
Take the lid off of your love!
A rising tide lifts all boats. We have good reason to rejoice in the success of others. We can lift them higher and find ourselves rising to meet their mutual joy.
THINK! If your neighbor improves his house and yard, he lifts your property value too. Help him out! If a similar business is established near your business and does well, it brings more traffic your way. Meet the challenge! If another body of Christ grows, just smile with God and get a bigger picture of Gods kingdom.
THINK! Any energy you spend resenting others not only wears you out, it may also defeat your own aims. Envy, bitterness and jealousy cannot grow where seeds of love, faith and forgiveness are planted. Let's trade our fruits of spite for fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control)!
Other people's successes do not create our failures. Fulfillment, progress, love, hope and joy for others does not require failure, loss, pain, despair and sorrow for you. Even if it did, could you seek gains for others anyway? Jesus did!
Joel's email address is: joelmark@flash.net