What are You Looking For?
Today’s Truth
“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20 TNIV
Friend to Friend
What are you looking for in the people around you today?
Both vultures and hummingbirds are winged creatures. Vultures have a knack for finding dead decaying animals…because that is what they are looking for. Hummingbirds have a knack for spotting nectar in beautiful flowers…because that is what they are looking for. Our words are a reflection of what we are looking for in people, circumstances, and life.
I heard the story of a traveler nearing a great city. He stopped and asked a woman seated by the wayside, “What are the people like in the city?”
“How were the people where you came from?” she asked.
“A terrible lot,” the traveler responded. “Mean, untrustworthy, detestable in all respects.”
“Ah,” said the woman, “You will find them the same in the city ahead.”
Scarcely was the first traveler gone when another one stopped and also inquired about the people in the city before him. Again the old woman asked about the people in the place the traveler had left.
“They were fine people; honest, industrious, and generous to a fault. I was sorry to leave,” declared the second traveler.
Responded the wise woman: “So you will find them in the city ahead.”
The wise old woman understood that we tend to see people through a lens of our own making. Whatever we are looking for is generally what we will find. Some people have a gift for bringing out the best in people that is wrapped in believing the best and tied with beautiful ribbons of loving words.
What are you looking for in the people around you today?
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, I pray that I will see others through Your eyes today. Help me to always see the best in others and encourage them to be the best they can be. Give me a grace-filled heart, knowing that a gracious heart will find graciousness in other people.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Now It’s Your Turn
Ouch! Did you see yourself in the two travelers in today’s devotion? Think about the last city you lived in, or the last job that you had, or the last school that you attended or the last church you were a member of. How would you describe the people there?
What can you learn about yourself in the descriptive words you just used?
More from the Girlfriends
Sometimes I act more like a vulture than a humming bird. I’m not always looking for the best in other people. I don’t like that about myself. But the good news is, we can change! If you’d like to learn more about using your words in a positive way – to sweeten the words that come out of your mouth and stop the critical ones, I want to encourage you to consider The Power of a Woman’s Words and The Power of a Woman’s Words Bible study.
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Girlfriends in God
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