When I first went to add this photo, I wanted to edit out the brown, dried parts on the flower. Wouldn't we all like to get rid of the things we have messed up or are not so good at? But those "bad" parts are what make good leaders and great "shepherds" or influencers, neighbors, spouses, friends, parents, colleagues and family members.
The verse above is often referred to when encouraging pastors, elders, or various leadership people at churches. Rarely do we connect it with ourselves, however if you have people around you then you have a certain responsibility to watch over them.
The thing that I like about these verses is that they are mainly focusing on the attitude behind what you do, and how that can become or turns into the very act of "watching over" people around you.
For instance each time I tell my kids something, even as simple as, "brush your teeth every day", I am reminded to lead by example (making sure that I am doing it too) and can encourage them when they mess up with, "It's okay, you will figure it out.". After all, I struggled with it too (my past mistakes) so it is an honest statement of encouragement.
It is pretty hard to convince anyone to do something that you don't take seriously yourself, or to be able to encourage them when you try to come off as being perfect. We all mess up! It's normal.
You have to live out the things that are important to you, in order to influence others. That applies to everything, like daily time with God, exercise, eating right, TV habits, reading....and most importantly attitude attributes like honesty and integrity. Living out what you believe tells people who you really are and can change lives in positive ways.
Today's challenge : Live out what is important to you or "watch over" the people around you.
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