Most honest people have a hard time being honest with themselves. They think they can judge how they affect others.

I think I’m an encourager and can motivate people, but do I really? We sometimes think more of ourselves than we should.

One day during a men’s meeting, my friend, Steve Nosacka, said, “Some people can light up a room when they enter. Harold lights it up when he leaves.”

I don’t know who sent me the following years ago, but I needed to read it and seriously observe how people react to me.

HOW DO WE AFFECT OTHERS?

We’ve a tendency to adopt the attitudes of the people closest to us. That’s why Paul wrote in Romans 1:12, “Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.” The truth is that doubters get what they expect – and so do believers! Looking for God’s best in every situation isn’t just scriptural; it helps you identify opportunities you’d otherwise miss.

Seeing people through God’s eyes causes them to be attracted to you and open in how they react. Is that important? Absolutely! Why? Because often your attitude will touch them before your message does.

Management consultant Fred Smith points out that there are two kinds of people in any organization: polluters and purifiers. The polluters are like smokestacks, belching out dirty smoke all the time. They hate clear skies, and no matter how good it gets, they find a way to make it gloomy. When the people around them breathe their toxins, they feel sicker and sicker.

Purifiers, on the other hand, make everything around them better. It doesn’t matter what kind of rotten atmosphere they encounter. They take in the toxic words of polluters just like everyone else does, but they filter them before passing them on. What goes in gloomy and negative comes out fresh and clear.

The question is: When you spend time with people, do they walk away feeling better or worse? Do you clear the air by giving them encouragement and fresh perspective, or do they leave feeling downcast and discouraged? Observe how people respond to you and you’ll know which group you belong to.

 

If you have any questions, or comments, please write to Harold Keller at Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.