We need others.
That statement is one we often hear. It’s a true statement, but we often don’t think about what it means. It means we need people to do life with, people to help us, people for us to help, and people that can be honest and open with us. We all need people in our lives that can help us be the best version of us that we can imagine and that we can serve and help along the way.
Here are three people we all need in our lives …
The Encourager
Encouragement is one of those things I really hope people can count on me to give. The truth is, we all need encouragement in life. Life is full of challenges and disappointments, ups and downs. We need people to encourage us and make us feel better during tough times. We need people to encourage us and celebrate with us during the victorious times. We need others to tell us we did a good job.
Be sure you are an encourager. Be sure you have some around you. You need them … they’ll keep you going.
The Realist
Sometimes, we can be blinded and not see what’s in front of us for what it really is. You see, if all we listen to is the encourager who always commends us and encourages us, we’ll miss the parts about ourselves that we need to work on and the things about us that need to grow. Have people around you that are honest about your shortcomings and the situations you find yourselves in. Find people that love you and want what’s best for you but also know how to deliver the truth. As a general rule, things usually aren’t as great as we may think or as bad as we may think.
Have the realist in your midst at all times. What they say may not always lift you up, but they will have your back.
The Critic
Yes, we need those people in our lives that don’t seem to like us. We need those people so that we can see our faults, but also so we can know how to react in the face of adversity. We have to be loving people. Jesus tells us to love our enemies. These “critics” help develop character in us. Sometimes, they may even have some truth to give us. Sure, critics usually don’t know how to deliver constructive criticism, but they sometimes do say what we need to hear. Love them regardless.
Love your critics. Don’t trust them, but don’t shut them out either.
