“Be somebody who treats everybody like a somebody.”
I guess I’m just an advocate of making everybody feel
like they matter, like they have worth. I think that the greatest thing we can
do for someone is to invest in them. There have been so many times throughout
my life that I longed so desperately for someone to take the time to truly
invest in me, and speak into my life, someone who was outside of my family and
friends circle. Over the course of the past year and a half there have been
three of four people who have truly taken time to invest in me, simply as a
human being. Not necessarily as a musician or a singer or a writer, but me,
Nicole Arnold, the person. And I can tell you that those few, very limited,
conversations mean so much more to me than those people will probably ever
know. Those few people have made a difference in my life, to an extent that
they will probably never fully realize.
And what I've realized is this: People not only crave human interaction and acceptance, but they crave
interaction from people who truly see worth in them when nobody else does.
People, at their core, desire to feel like they have
worth. And what I have found is that investing in people and treating people with
kindness and respect can mean more to them than you will ever probably realize.
You will not always be surrounded by the people who are social media famous,
and wear the best clothes and have the funniest comments, but more than likely
you will encounter someone on a daily basis who desperately needs to know that
they matter.
Invest in people. Invest in that 13 year old girl who
everyone thinks is a lost cause. You never know who she could become. You never
know the impact that you could make in her life, simply by taking her out to
coffee, shopping or writing her a card. You have the power to alter the course
of her life. Your words of encouragement and acts of kindness could motivate
her to believe in herself and could propel her to jump start her own life.
Throughout my study of Jesus’ ministry, I’ve learned
that he made everybody feel like a somebody. It didn’t matter who approached
Him, He took the time to truly focus on their need and then acted accordingly.
He invested in people who were not the prime candidates of discipleship. He
invested in the misfits, the nobodies and those who were considered second rate
people.
For instance, the woman at the well. The woman at the
well was an individual who really had no prospects. She didn’t have any
friends. She was kind of the outcast. She had been married five times. Clearly,
she had an identity problem. She didn’t really fit into any sort of category or
mold. Perhaps she was searching for worth in the midst of a broken marriage.
Perhaps she spent every day wondering if someone would ever take the time to
invest in her. She may have wondered if she was even worthy of true, deep, pure
love. No one had ever taken the time to inquire about her situation. Perhaps,
instead, others would gossip and snicker and write her off as a lost cause.
That’s when Jesus stepped into the picture and demonstrated what it means to
truly invest in someone. He simply had a conversation with her that altered the
entire course of her existence. Her life was transformed because one person
took the time to invest in her soul.
Never underestimate the power of one conversation,
because that small, seemingly meaningless conversation could change someone’s
life.
Invest. Uplift.
Repeat
Sooooo TRUE!!! Good post Nikki!!!
ReplyDeleteThis blessed, encouraged and challenged me! Thank you so much! Jesus used your words! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteWonderful message! People are so fragile... We must die daily to our flesh so that we might be more like Christ and shine his light to all those who need him! When I was out in sin and looking for help... so many turned their backs on me... and I was basically... shunned! So I'd just like to say thank you for writing this... We were placed on this earth to go into all nations and teach others of this Jesus! To teach of his LOVE! Not to only talk to people who look the same as us! We were meant to be his disciples... not pew warmers! I thank him for that testimony and trial so I can strive to never treat others as I was treated, but to treat them as he would have treated them. He made everyone feel like a somebody... AMEN SISTER! :)
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