There are times where I wish I could be like Jesus, knowing everything, having everything under my control and direction, and knowing exactly what to do and say at the proper time. But I have been repeatedly reminded in life that I am not that all-knowing, or perfect, and that there are many times where I mess up, sometimes in a rather large way.
This is the case for every single one of us human beings who inhabit this earth. And what this means is that we all have room to grow. Some of us are really good at task items, while being somewhat deficient at people skills (or vice versa). Some of us are really good with planning, and others are really good at following through. Some of us are really great at listening, and others are really good at prodding others on to something more or better.
It's very rare to find someone who does all things well. In fact, in the history of the world, only one person/being has ever NOT had room to grow, that being Jesus. This means that every single one of us has things about us which would greatly benefit us and others if we would put a little work in on improving those.
For me, personally, one of my areas for growth is in interacting with, listening to, and being in touch with people. Because God has made me with what I consider to be a fairly good mind, I naturally find myself gravitating toward study and learning, books rather than people. At times, I have realized that this tendency has had an effect on people, who may see me as somewhat stand-offish or lacking people skills.
Over the years, I have made various attempts to grow in this area. One of my favorite books is written by Dale Carnegie quite some time ago, entitled "How to Win Friends and Influence People." I typically read this book 1-2 times each year as a reminder of my need to grow in how I interact with others, and to also give me reminders of how I can go about that.
I honestly don't know that I will ever become a completely people oriented person. In some ways, I am thankful for that, since that doesn't seem to be where God has gifted me. At the same time, I also recognize that it will be a lifelong effort to keep that reminder that people are important, and that I need to grow in how to interact with them.
This is the case for every single one of us human beings who inhabit this earth. And what this means is that we all have room to grow. Some of us are really good at task items, while being somewhat deficient at people skills (or vice versa). Some of us are really good with planning, and others are really good at following through. Some of us are really great at listening, and others are really good at prodding others on to something more or better.
It's very rare to find someone who does all things well. In fact, in the history of the world, only one person/being has ever NOT had room to grow, that being Jesus. This means that every single one of us has things about us which would greatly benefit us and others if we would put a little work in on improving those.
For me, personally, one of my areas for growth is in interacting with, listening to, and being in touch with people. Because God has made me with what I consider to be a fairly good mind, I naturally find myself gravitating toward study and learning, books rather than people. At times, I have realized that this tendency has had an effect on people, who may see me as somewhat stand-offish or lacking people skills.
Over the years, I have made various attempts to grow in this area. One of my favorite books is written by Dale Carnegie quite some time ago, entitled "How to Win Friends and Influence People." I typically read this book 1-2 times each year as a reminder of my need to grow in how I interact with others, and to also give me reminders of how I can go about that.
I honestly don't know that I will ever become a completely people oriented person. In some ways, I am thankful for that, since that doesn't seem to be where God has gifted me. At the same time, I also recognize that it will be a lifelong effort to keep that reminder that people are important, and that I need to grow in how to interact with them.
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