Having a Greater Impact on the Lives of Others

Anyone who has attended my concerts knows the evening is about more than just music.  You'll also hear my encouragement for everyone to live outside themselves and make a difference in the life of someone else.

When you start living outside yourself, you can't help but stick your nose into the lives of others. Of course, I am not speaking about being rude or intrusive.  I am speaking of taking on a concern for others and asking how you can make an impact on people.

For example, you don't need to travel to the other side of the world to help someone when you know the 5th grader across the street with learning disabilities could use some extra help catching up on his reading. How about the couple two houses down who just got laid off? They would be shocked if they found several grocery bags filled with food on their doorstep. 

How do you live like this?  It starts with getting the focus off yourself, appreciating what you have in life and noticing the needs of others.   

Here're several tips I offer you to get you to start making an impact on the lives of others:

•You can't wait to get all your needs met before you notice the needs of others. It should become second nature for us to take notice of the needs of others.  We get so caught up in a world where we have to get our needs taken care of first before we can move out to help those around us.

Caring for others always has some element of self-sacrifice.  If you're not inconvenienced in some way, I would wonder how much of yourself you're really giving.  I'm talking about giving your time - your most precious commodity.  How about missing your favorite Thursday night TV show to go visit a sick friend or volunteering a few hours a month on a Saturday morning instead of joining your golf buddies?

•You should be keeping track of others on a regular basis. Make serving others a routine in your life . . . not just something that happens once or twice a year.  However, be realistic about your routine. 

If you say to yourself, "I'm going to spend time volunteering at a hospital every Friday afternoon for three hours," that's a wonderful goal.  However, your goal may be unrealistic.  Set goals that can be achieved.  Perhaps you can only give two hours a month.  That's great. But in the meantime, you can let people know you're still around.  Drop off cookies for the nurses at a hospital one afternoon even when it's not your day to volunteer.

•You can use the resources you already have. When you start to think about the needs of others, you become aware of what God has given you to help others.  A family of 4-5 can easily recycle bottles, cans and plastic jars, take these items to a recycling center and give the cash the get back to their favorite charity.

•You need to leave the credit for your kindness in God's hands. It's too easy to take the pat on the back if it comes your way.  Showing kindness is an opportunity to have your good deeds point upward to God rather than back at yourself.  If He motivates you or draws you to do an act of kindness, then He deserves the credit, not you.

John

Email John:   johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Comments

[Suzanne]

Good Morning!
I would just like to add something please. And that is, let's be good to the encourager God puts in front of you today. Please try not to squash someones spirit who smiles at you and asks, "How are you?", by unloading on a total stranger. Outreach, not inreach just for today. Just for today, please be positive for someone else! I can promise you that you will be happier at listening to someone, then you will be at unloading on them. Public jobs require being nice to people, so let's all help them do their jobs.
Thanks for listening!
And I hope you have a sweet, simple day....
Suzanne

[Demian~DreamSinger]

What a beautiful message to receive in my email first thing in the morning. It was so needed. Thank you for blessing my day and helping me to start off my week on the right foot and in the right mind.