Thursday, November 25, 2010

Grateful to Know.... YOU?

It is one thing to be grateful for the people in your life.  It is in an entirely different thing to have given those same people cause to be grateful for you...

I have amazing people surrounding me. Better people than I deserve.  It is easy for me to say that I am grateful for them.  However, have I given them legitimate reasons to be grateful for me?  Have I brought anything to the table of their lives? Or am I always there to take and never to give?

Here are some introspective questions about relationships to ponder in the spirit of thanksgiving:

  • Do I ever bring the same value to my friends' lives, that they bring to my life?
  • The special people around me are always there to listen to my dreams/concerns, but do I ever listen to them?
  • Do I ever give to my loved ones or am I always on the receiving end?  
In a relationship there must giving and receiving on behalf of both parties.  Give a little, get a little. If we are truly grateful for the relationships God has placed in our lives, then we must make a conscious effort to not just be served, but to serve.

So, here's the moral of this little post:  It is easy to say you are grateful for the people around you, but are you grateful enough to live in such a way that your loved ones have reason to be just as grateful that you are in their lives?

Have you given your friends cause to be just as blessed to know you, as you are to know them???

3 comments:

Charlotte said...

I am very blessed to know you and have you for a pastor. Happy Thanksgiving!

Amanda Gilbert said...

I am blessed, I am blessed, everyday that I live I am blessed....
Blessed to know and love you!

...your loving wife

Paul Adams said...

Eric,
A very sound message here. Makes me think about my friends and family also.
-Paul Adams