I long to be an influencer in this life. Someone who moves other people to live with passion and love and hope. Looking at the news, it would seem that we have a lot to be disappointed in, a lot to be scared of, a lot to be anxious about. But, I refuse to believe that those things win. When I look around at the people I know, I see love. I see reasons to hope.
Those who have had the biggest impact in my life have been people who have not been afraid to humble themselves in order to lift someone else up. They have been people who have lived significantly beneath their means in order to do big things for others financially. They have been people who were radically sacrificial with their time in order to see others grow. These people make me passionate, because they are living a life bigger than themselves.
Have you ever noticed how when you are feeling down about life or anxious about a situation you can become myopic in your view of life? When I am having a bad day or am feeling sorry for myself, if I step back…I realize I've been so focused on myself that I forget the joy of living for others and serving with love. I lose nothing of myself by encouraging others.
If I look at the times in life when I have felt most passionate and most alive, each and every time it has been during a season when I am living life with others. Encouraging others and building them up is life-giving–not only to them, but to you. I would bet your flame would not be diminished by lighting another's…and it's possible you may just find that yours burns brighter, too.