Acknowledging Others Feels Good

I hadn’t seen my friend in a few years when suddenly her bright face was in front of mine at church this morning.

Oh holy breathtaking wonders! This young lady inspires me. It’s cheesy to say it, but her love lights up a room. She pours her heart over people and exudes that Christ-like quality of making you feel important. 

Another thing about my friend, she is uniquely talented as an athlete. I remember the first time I watched her play dodge ball with our youth group—it might as well have been ballet. I stared in wonder at the height she could jump, her reflexes in catching the ball, the way she could hit a target across the gym. I promise you, I even felt God’s joy over her movements. 

There’s something gratifying in having friends who are just amazing at something. When you can celebrate them and praise God for them, their victories are your victories. It’s a wonderful Kingdom principle that can sour if we let ourselves be jealous instead. 

Jealousy is a monster. It takes our fears and our insecurities and it heightens them by comparing ourselves to other people. Did you know that you will spend your life meeting other people who are better than you at the things you’ve used to build your ego?

Rather than tearing ourselves down when we see someone else succeed, let’s celebrate others generously. It feels really good, I promise.