The One Thing People Need From You (And How You Are Depriving Them Of It)

We need you.

Your friends need you. Your spouse needs you. Your kids need you. Your co-workers need you. People in your community that you have yet to meet, need you. They don’t need tons of your time or money or help, although those things are nice. What they need most, is something only you can give.

They need your experience.

You have made tons of decisions in your life, some good and some not so good. You have succeeded and failed. You have loved and possibly even been hurt in a relationship. As Christians, we believe that God is wrapped up in all of those events in life. He’s in the good. He’s there for us during the bad. The story of how God has interacted with you during those times in your life is a valuable gift that can be shared with others. When Moses was encouraging the nation of Israel before they entered the land of Canaan to live, he told them to love and serve God, “For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did.” (Deuteronomy 11:7). Some wisdom isn’t found it books, it comes from a life lived, from what our eyes have seen and our ears have heard. Sadly, most of us never pass on (or sometimes even notice) the amazing things that we have learned. If you want to give your most valuable resource to the people that need it most, here are three things you need to start doing:

1)Watch

Sometimes life happens to you without you even noticing. It’s easy to get so caught up in the frantic pace of our lives, looking ahead to the future, that we forget that God is up to something here and now. There is something He is wanting to show you on even the most ordinary days. If you don’t watch for it, you might miss it. The large, dramatic events of our life aren’t the only time that God shows up. He’s always with you, which means there is always something new for you to see and learn.

2)Reflect

Setting up a time each day to look back and reflect on what happened is one of the most overlooked spiritual disciplines. Reflection is hugely important. It’s our chance to wrap our mind around our day, and to sort out all that went on, and all that it means. St. Ignatius set a time each evening to look back over his day and to talk to God about the good and the bad. Not only does setting a time of reflection sort out our own thoughts, it allows us to package the information that we hope to pass on to others.

3)Tell

It’s easy to believe that people don’t really care about what you have to say, and sometimes they don’t. That doesn’t change the value of what you have to offer. The ways you have seen God interact with you in your life is a valuable story for others. Some may ignore it, but others will cherish it. So, tell your story, and let others decide what they will do with it. All you can do is share, the rest is up to them.

You have a story to tell, and there are people who desperately need to hear it. So, take some time today and make a call or schedule a visit and share your heart. You’ll be glad you did.