I have met many people over the years. Some of them have lifted me up while others have torn me down. The ones that have lifted me up are the ones I choose to remember. They are the ones that have made a positive difference in my life. I have become a better man because of them. What made them so special?
The first thing that makes someone a lifter is the way he/she talks. Some people brighten my day by the things that they say to me. Proverbs 12:18, “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.” Proverbs 15:4, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life . . .” Proverbs 15:23, “A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!” Proverbs 15:28, “The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.”
Another thing that makes someone a lifter is he/she is one who helps me become what God wants me to be. They have lived lives that have demonstrated how I should live. They are my heroes. From them I have learned courage, compassion, and faithfulness. Gideon told his 300 in Judges 7:17, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:” The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
As parents and grandparents we need to be heroes to those around us. We need to live in such a way that we can say, “Follow me. Do as I do.” Wouldn’t the world be better if we all lived such lives?