Inspiration

Who are the people in your life that inspire you? I don't mean the people that you just look up to, or the ones you like. I mean the ones who spark something in you that you thought was dead, the ones that help you see everything in a new light, the ones that make you feel incredibly humbled yet empowered at the same time, the ones that make you want to be the best human being you could possibly be.


For me, when I consider all the different people who have inspired  me throughout my life, I see one common thread: they all bear a strong likeness to Jesus. And the one quality in particular that stands out is love. It's not about how intelligent or knowledgeable a person is. It's not about how much influence or fame a person has. It's not about how much success or accomplishments a person has. It's about love. Do I respect those other qualities? Sure. Are they attractive? Yeah. But that doesn't inspire me. 

What inspires me is seeing a teacher reach out to a student rather than just dismiss them and give them another chance, 

or seeing a family open up their house to strangers and welcome them in with generosity, 

or seeing a boss listen with humility to employees and treat them as real individual persons and not just another unit to get the job done,

or seeing a parent sacrifice everything they have just so that their children can flourish, and live well,

or seeing an innocent victim harbor no resentment to his/her wrongdoers, but instead forgive and show kindness.

It is those things that inspire me. They make me see the world for how it should be. 

I am thankful for the people in my life who inspire me, because ultimately, they make me want to be more like Jesus. 

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