Skip to main content

The Gift of Going First

                When was young, I was fascinated by Evel Knievel.  In fact, my brother and I often imitated him by building ramps and jumping our bikes off them.  There was only one problem.  After each new ramp was completed, someone had to be brave enough to give it a try to prove that the jump could be done without getting hurt.  “Who is going first?” was an important question.  Once someone showed that it was not that scary, then everyone would try it, but someone had to go first.
                Now that I am older, I am even more convinced that going first is a gift.  Here are two areas where it makes a huge difference.
                Go first with your mistakes.  We live in a world where people usually clean-up or cover up.  In other words, we work hard to hide our problems and pretend that they do not exist.  Unfortunately, doing so only creates more problems.  The more we pretend, the more isolated we are and the harder it is to get over our struggles.
                Contrary to that, the Bible encourages us to be real with one another.  James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other”.  When we go first and talk about our issues, it does two things.  First, it allows others to help us carry our burden and to pray for us.  Secondly, it gives others an opportunity to be real about their own circumstances and fears.  Confession draws us together.  When we admit that we are not perfect, then we can start to help and support one another.
                Next, consider the blessing of going first with kindness.  In most situations, it is not hard to figure out the kind thing to do.  It is obvious.  Sadly, many people hold back from offering kindness because they are worried that someone will take advantage of them.  However, kindness tends to breed kindness.  In fact, scripture points out that, through his Spirit, the kindness of God should produce that same sort of kindness in us (Galatians 5:22-23). 
                You can be a difference maker in your world by simply going first and giving people an example to follow.  Once people are shown a better way, they often follow along.
                It will take some courage, but going first can change everything.  After all, Jesus went first with us.
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more