Affirm, affirm, affirm
If you do nothing today other than tell the people who mean the most to you, exactly how much they mean to you, you will have done yourself a great favor, done them a great favor, and done the world a great favor.
It might be more powerful than any other activism you can possibly engage in this day.
Are you hearing me?
There’s hardly any activism more important than that.
Pastor Gabe, of The Revival Center of Paso Robles, California, delivered a great sermon, last Wednesday, entitled “Investing in God’s Bank.”
YouTube has a playback of it.
Pastor Gabe never closed down his church. He is one of the few pastors in the state who can say that. He is also one of the few pastors in his community who can say that. Over the past two years, I have come to learn what an important litmus test that can be in evaluating a pastor.
In that sermon, he said, man is the most important “commodity,” to be investing in.
When I heard his sermon on YouTube, it occurred to me how much of my life has been dedicated to investing in other people, how fulfilling that has been, and how much I must be sure to maintain focus on that.
Doing so has always been a passion of mine, but I have never said to myself, “I want to live a life dedicated to investing in other people.” Such a statement simply never occurred to me. It has just happened, and as those of you who know me personally know — it happens in spades. I live to serve, and despite all my imperfections, I am always looking for ways to serve better.
Pastor Gabe’s sermon, which I have now listened to 3 times, has been a reminder of that.
If you are a mother, father, a son or daughter, a husband or a wife, I think his message is a powerful one. It goes something like this:
-Affirm the people around you.
-Never curse anyone. In cursing another person, you are cursing someone that God loves dearly.
-When in doubt — Affirm, affirm, affirm.
-When you affirm another, you are pouring blessings onto their heart that will cause their heart to grow, and no matter how much they hear that affirmation from you, it can not be heard by them enough.
I repeat, YOU CAN NEVER AFFIRM TOO MUCH.
Only Pastor Gabe said that last Wednesday much better than I just did.
That 69-year-old preacher is wise beyond his 69-years. Those are the kind of preachers I welcome to preach into my life: the wise ones. It is hard to sit still long for preachers who are 83, yet seem to have about as much wisdom as the average mainstream 33-year-old, which is not much wisdom.
The past two years have been so effective at rending apart homes, uprooting families, and sowing salt into once fertile ground.
The antidote to that is unlikely to be found in arguing with each other. The antidote may really be in loving on that person all the more, blessing that person all the more, affirming the good you see in that person all the more.
You have been the bigger person these past two years — having the discernment to see this era for what it is. Would it kill you to swallow your pride? Would it kill you to be the bigger person a little more? Would it kill you to affirm some of those loved ones who it used to be so effortless to enjoy the company of?
Probably not.
But I will leave that up to you to answer.
As for me, I will be looking to fix my attention on how to affirm, affirm, and affirm. Because today is a great day to let some of the most wonderful people in my life know what a blessing they are to me.
If you like these emails, tap below to support more of that work, and to receive more great writing, more great activism, and some neat other extra gifts in the mix.
Tap here to become a Supporting Lion.
Allan Stevo