Blessed By Others
I have been thinking a lot today about how truly blessed I am to have some friends who can feed me and make me stronger. I have spent over half my life sharing truths of the Scripture with people who have been willing to sit and listen. It has always inspired me when I see people grow from those things mined from the Bible. It gives me joy and a real sense of purpose. Well, to tell you the truth, it is a blessing.
I have a few who share with me on a regular basis. I was thinking just today how blessed I was to have friends like Lynn Campbell, Michael Rhodes, Barry Jones and Lindsey Garmon. These are not the only ones, but they are the ones with whom I converse more regularly, especially in Biblical matters.
Just today I was listening to some audio file from Lindsey and thought of all the years I had known him and what a blessing he has been in my life. In the early, formative years, I spent many hours listening to cassette tapes shifted to me by one or the other who had also been blessed by his teaching. He helped me so much when I was trying to get a grip on some things, and at the time, he didn’t even know it.
As my mind raced, I thought of all the hours Lynn and I have spent together on the phone and sitting together. I though of how eagerly I awaited the moment when he would begin talking about something and carry me away on the wings of eagles.
Barry Jones is a friend of mine who came into my life when I lived and preached in Florida. Our friendship and love has journeyed over twenty five years now and is still growing. We never have a conversation that does not include something that one or the other of us have discovered. Our relationship is truly amazing and I am awed at how he feeds and nurtures me… and hopefully, I him.
Michael I have known for three or four years now and it seems as if we have known each other for a lifetime. He has such an open heart and a willingness to seek that which is deeper in truth. He blesses me.
These are four key people in my life with whom I try and surround myself. I care little what others think of them or perceive them. All I know is that they bless my life and I hope in some way, I bless theirs.
Have you ever considered how you might be that same kind of blessing to someone? Have you ever thought that someone might be getting a transfusion from you without you even knowing it? I can assure you that it is happening. You might know in this lifetime or you might not. It is good to know, but most of us do not. But either way, you help people.
You may or may not be able to share with them the deeper truths of God. But when you think about it, all of those deeper truths are not always something that is written and studied. When you exemplify justice and mercy, you are showing people what God is like. When you help the weak and guide the strong, you are a blessing in their lives. They may never tell you, but it does not change the fact that you altered their steps and set them on a better path. Who knows, one of these days out of the blue, they or their families might just let you know. But whether they do or not, God knows.
Give some thought to those who bless you in ways you might never have been if it were not for them. Let them know. In doing so, those few little words might just be the blessing in their life to help them do even more. Let others know when good is coming from their life. Let them know that they, in their faith, are bringing just a little more light into the darkness. “Encourage each other all the more as you see that day approaching.”
Just thinking about it might just be the blessing that brightens your life.