Love Learn Lead April 13, 2017

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know that this is our Love Learn Lead day. You also may have picked up on the fact that a lot of this blog is about loving, learning, and leading. That is because I believe those three things are how we all are called to live our lives—no matter how many people we lead, and no matter how many people we know. Whether our sphere of influence is huge or tiny, we all have an important role to play in our world. For today’s Love Learn Lead, I talk more about this. May you be inspired and encouraged today.

Love

One of my favorite things to do in the world is to walk alongside someone as they figure out the direction they want to take in life, as they face the unknown, and/or as they seek to know themselves better. I have been doing this now, for about half of my life—since first volunteering in youth ministry as a college freshman—and it never gets old.

About two weeks ago, I helped send off one of my “people.” She used to be one of my “kids,” as I walked alongside of her through high school. But, over the past year or so I have had the privilege of walking alongside her again as she began transitioning into a new career path. Because we’ve known each other for over ten years, we have walked through some hard lows together, but I cannot tell you how rewarding that has made the highs.

Who has walked alongside you in your life?

Who do you walk with, on their journey?

Learn

Are you a good listener? How much time out of your day do you spend asking others about their lives? In our busy world, I believe listening has become harder and harder. Everything is moving so fast, there is so much to focus on, and often we can feel overwhelmed with our own stuff that it is hard to slow down and really listen to someone else.

But, do you want to know a secret?

Sometimes, taking the time to listen and care for someone else—especially someone who can’t necessarily reciprocate—can bring tremendous peace and fulfillment to our lives. When we care for others and take time to listen, we get a break from our stuff. We are given an opportunity to see beyond ourselves and discover important things about those around us, about life, and about our world.

Where caring for others may seem like it will only add something else to our busy schedule, and where it seems like it could be a burden—it actually becomes a great gift. Whether mentoring kids or teens, helping students learn to read in school, or volunteering at a nursing home—the opportunities to care for others are endless. But the ones who may be missing out the most if we don’t take the time to do this, is us.