From time to time we all have heard someone bragging that they are self made. The perception they want to transmit is that they got where they are today by their own efforts. Such thinking is at the best faulty and near sighted not to mention false.
None of us would have survived our birth had it not been for the care and nurture that others gave us. We were fed, clothed, sheltered and protected when we could do nothing for ourselves. And along the way, we had parents or caretakers, teachers, family members, neighbors, doctors, ministers and a host of other people known and unknown to us who contributed to our wellbeing, development and survival.
The old saying that “no man is an island” could not be more true of each one of us. It takes a community to raise a child and to set them on their way to maturity and productivity. We are all debtors to so many others. So the idea that we are self made is ridiculous to say the least.
The point for my thought for this week is that being the debtors that we are, being dependent upon others and owing them our deepest gratitude, perhaps in this springtime when all things are new in nature, we might break forth with a new resolution to take a moment and write a letter, send an e-mail or even make a telephone call to someone who has made a significant contribution to our lives. Tell them what they have meant to you, how they have touched your life and how they have made a difference in shaping you into the person you are today.
I can guarantee you that taking time for such a outreach of gratitude will warm the heart of the recipient and make their day. You will bring encouragement to them and help them understand that their life and efforts have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.
The Apostle Paul had that kind of appreciation for the Christians at Philippi. They meant so much to him that he took the time to write them a letter which began with these words, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in your will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:3-6). Is there any doubt this his letter was well received? Is there any doubt that he made their day? Don’t procrastinate! Send that note of appreciation while it is fresh on your mind.
In His Love,
Charles
