People

Don't you think it's interesting how many different kinds of people there are? Beyond color and race and culture you have another layer of personality. In my job I interact with lots of different people. Some people wear me down. It might be because they are needy, difficult, confusing, or just a bit annoying but there are some people who drain me. Then there are those who seem to do just the opposite. When I am done with my time with them I feel more energized, more motivated than before I was with them. And the funny thing is that those people who fill me up are not just "energetic" people. They fill me through their thoughtfullness and their wisdom as much as they just "pump me up" to do whatever it is I am doing.

When I think about those kinds of people I think about which one I am to others. If you are taking notes, I want to be the one that energizes, encourages, and empowers and not the one that drains, confuses, and annoys.

We see a parallel to this in the Bible...the Pharisees and Jesus. The "religious leaders" held people down. They delighted in bullying people to fit in to the mold they had created. They criticized without reflection and refused to believe that there was any other viable truth than the one they were selling. When we look at the life of Jesus he was an encourager, a filler of people. He did challenge people but in a way that made them look inward and evaluate their life and their heart. That's the model I want to follow. I'd ask but I think I would be a little afraid of the answer...who am I to you? Critical, draining and annoying or encouraging, challenging and filling?