Uplifting Others
While having dinner with a close friend, a female server came over to us to clear off our table as the restaurant was closing for the night. I noticed her eyelashes and immediately thought they were beautiful. I complimented her and told her how nice they looked. We struck up a conversation and had what I call a “girlfriend moment." I noticed how pretty she was and I told her so.
The next day my friend said to me, “You have an unique ability to encourage people.” I said to him, "Why do you say that?” He responded, “You didn't notice it, but I noticed that when she (the waitress) came over to the table, her head was down and her shoulders looked slumped. When you started talking to her and complimenting her, her shoulders and head lifted. It was like her countenance changed.”
I suspected that I did not notice the change in her posture because I was zeroing in on her beautiful eyelashes. Later, I realized how simply complimenting her eyelashes caused her posture to change for the better. What is it about uplifting or complimenting other people that causes them to feel better? Words are powerful. The Bible says, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.”
How often do you spend your time uplifting others? What genuine compliment can you give someone that will uplift them. You do not know what people are facing privately, and one positive comment or kind gesture can give them the strength to keep forging ahead. Jesus is our holy example of uplifting others. He is the perfect embodiment of uplifting others and serving selflessly. Some people are more prone to criticize rather than uplift others. In most instances, we emulate the behavior of the one who has the most influence over us.
Our heavenly Father is the embodiment of love. He loved us so much that He sent his only Son to die on the cross for our sins. He sent the Holy Spirit to us as a Comforter. Conversely, there is the father of evil. Some call him the devil and some call him an evil presence. Nonetheless, our patterns of behavior that mirror the father of evil or an evil presence are demonstrated by being disrespectful, judgmental, undermining, condemning, and divisive. So my question to you as you reflect on your pattern of behavior is: who is your daddy? Do you spend your time uplifting others or undermining others?
