So over the past week or so, the Lord has been really showing me something. I taketaketake, from the people who love me, and forget to give back. My parents, Emmy, John Aaron, Emily, adults from my church, they are constantly building me up. They are over and over telling me how proud they are of me, encouraging me. The way that I normally return their praise is by thanking them, over and over. I tell them how much their encouragement helps ME, and how thankful I am they are in MY life. I keep the focus on me, in a way. They are such incredible people. I then realized something crazy. I am able to grow in such incredible ways because of them, and they constantly help me grow spiritually. But there is another person who sometimes tells me they are proud of me, and every time I hear it my heart nearly explodes with love and joy. My little brother; the one that I"M supposed to build up and protect. The older he gets, the more it is a two way street.
How often do I tell those people who are changing my life, that I am proud of them? That I am proud of the struggles that THEY are overcoming? The changes they are making in THEIR lives? Not often enough. God has recently been showing me that when I am proud of people in my life, even older people, I should tell them. Encourage them. I am so proud of all of them for how they devote their lives to the Lord. I bragged like crazy on my parents in my South Africa application, talking about how loving of a home I was raised in. I wrote paragraph after paragraph about how they follow the Lord, and raised me with wisdom. I am so proud of my mom and dad. I could brag on them forever, to anyone. When people back home ask about the BCM, I can't wait to tell them how awesome our directors are; how they literally have dedicated their lives to the Lord through loving all of us college kids. When asked if I am being discipled by any one, I am PROUD to say Emmy's name. That's because I know how awesome she is. I know how much she loves the Lord. I know how strong she is. Simply hearing my baby brother, someone I've poured my heart into, tell me that HE is proud of ME makes me the happiest big sister in the world. Should I not then pass on that joy to those that are pouring into my life, by telling them how proud I am of who they are?
A couple days ago, I was thinking about all of this. I came to a brand new realization. I take so much pride in the people pouring into my life. When asked, I readily brag. How often is that my response when a stranger, or even a close(non-believer) friend asks me about Christ? My parents, Emmy, John Aaron, & Emily are all seriously incredible people; but they are not perfect. I personally really am not that awesome, and don't really deserve the praise that my little brother sometimes gives me, yet no other human's words can give me such joy. God, on the other hand, is perfect. How much more pleasure then does God experience when I am proud of Him? When I express to Him through words how proud I am of who He is, and what He's done? God spends all of His time pouring into my life, loving me, and guiding me. He also does it in a much more perfect way than I could ever do for Cody. How much more then does He DESERVE my praise? I should be just as proud of God as I am of humans. I should build up other believers, but I should even more so praise God! :)
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