“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 1:2
We all like receiving praise for our endeavors. Yet in our busy lives, we often omit reaching out to others to praise and encourage their endeavors. We are preoccupied with posting, tweeting, and pinning about our own lives. We live in a world that encourages self-absorption, not just through our engagement with social media, but with our appearance, possessions and social status. We can even become self-obsessed with our feelings.
For those of us in recovery, self-absorption can be very dangerous. If we feel that we don’t measure up, or that we may lose something, or not get what we think we deserve, we can fall back into our addictions to soothe those fears or resentments. Jesus taught us to turn to Him, away from ourselves in order to live a good life. (Matthew 16:25) We are taught to be concerned with our fellows, as is taught in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” Let us turn away from focusing on ourselves and think about our friends, our family. Let us tell them, in person, in a conversation, or in a handwritten letter, that we wish for them to prosper, to be healthy and that we are proud of, and encourage their endeavors. Let’s make it a priority to encourage our fellows and to take interest in their endeavors, through more than a quick click on a “Like” button. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get involved with each other’s lives. How wonderful it would be if we could say, “I wish above all things that you may prosper, in your health and soul,” and truly mean it, because we have allowed ourselves to become emotionally involved with our fellows and less so with ourselves. We have become emotionally involved with our Creator and His creation!
F.R.O.G. Practice: Think more thoughts about your friends and family today, and less thoughts about yourself. Become genuinely curious about other people’s lives. Make an effort to connect with them in person to hear about what is going on in their lives. Encourage them!
