“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
Who helps you grow, my friend? Is there anyone in your life that you trust enough to tell you the truth?
I have a few friends that I know will tell me the truth about myself. They have invested in me, and I in them. We have spent enough time with each other to know each other well. We have gone through challenges and celebrations together. I am grateful for friends like that, but I have learned that those kinds of relationships are not just a blessing. They are essential.
None of us can truly accomplish anything on our own. Even though we may think we do. We need other people to help us become the person God designed us to be. He made us that way. We are created to need each other. Achieving your goals requires other people.
You need a teacher. A teacher shows you what to do. It may be someone with a free YouTube channel, or you may pay for a particular course of action. It may be a friend who is a few steps ahead on the journey or a skilled neighbor who invites you to shadow them and learn. You don’t know what you don’t know until you begin to learn. That’s been my experience.
I’m grateful for all the people who have made their knowledge available through the Internet. But I am most grateful for people who’ve been willing to share their knowledge and experience. Those relationships have been a treasure. We may not have become close friends, but they have deeply impacted me and guided me with their skill. I will always think of them and smile.
You need an encourager. There are several people who have continued to encourage me in my writing journey. They have believed in me and voiced their excitement or commented on things I have written.
But I could not have kept up a blog or authored a book without the encouragement of my husband. Tom has supported me with words, but also by agreeing to the financial commitment involved with keeping a website and publishing a book. (It’s almost ready. I just sent it back to my editor for another look. Click here to stay in the loop. We are in the home stretch!) He asks me about my progress. He sees a future that I can’t see yet because I am in the weeds of details. Without his support, it would have been so much more difficult to persevere when the way has been difficult. His encouragement helped me keep going. You need someone like that.
You need a challenger. You need someone who will tell you the truth no matter what. Tom has been that for me in so many ways, but I’ve had other challengers as well.
Sometimes the challenge came from a teacher who told me the truth about my work, but often the challenge came just by interacting with my classmates. Their excellence in areas where I have been weak has inspired me to keep going and motivated me to change.
The example of friends I cherish has also challenged me to change. Watching them interact with others gracefully or walk through difficulties with unwavering faith caused me to examine myself and recognize weaknesses. Other times, they went beyond the example and spoke the truth to me. I have come to learn that love is not afraid to speak the truth. People I love have demonstrated that to me.
When you consider the goals you have set for yourself, remember this: You have been helped by others and you continue to need their help. Someone taught you skills. Someone encouraged you to keep going. Someone challenged you to persevere and change. If you want to achieve God’s goals for your life, you need to enlist and engage others in the process. You can do it!
Key Question: Who helps you grow?
A Scripture to Consider: “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
A YES Challenge: Take time to reflect and write the names of three people in your life, a teacher, an encourager and a challenger. If appropriate, reach out to them and thank them for their influence.
Prayer: Father, I thank You for the people who have helped me grow. I know who I am without You, but I often forget who I am without the people who teach, encourage, and challenge me. Thank You for their influence. Thank You for who I have become and am becoming because of them. Amen.
