We rise by lifting others ~Robert Ingersoll
We’ve all heard the saying “Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world that it’s crooked." What a lovely picture of friendship. If you have ever had a friend who champions you, doesn’t compete with you, and genuinely wants you to “win," you know how incredibly life-giving that relationship is. These types of friends elevate each other.
I can think of several examples of these friends in my life. They are the ones who have helped keep watch over and nurture the things in my heart. They have helped dreams stay alive and call me into deeper purpose. I pray I do the same in return.
We’ve also probably all experienced the difficulty of relationships that are not uplifting. I’ve wrestled in relationships that require so much effort and I even feel on guard in a self-protective mode. That is usually a pretty good sign that it’s not a relationship worth pursuing; yet especially as women, we tend to WANT so badly to be nice or to get along that we shelve our peace to keep the peace.
Or perhaps we find ourselves in the company of others that have a tendency to tear others down through gossip. We may not even recognize this at first, because the conversation may feel justified. However, there is an old saying , “If they do it with you, they will do it to you,” meaning that if someone has a habit of gossip or slander, they will likely talk about people, including you, when you are not around.
Loved ones, listen. Proverbs 11:13 says, “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter." And Proverbs 17:9 says,“He who conceals a matter seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates good friends.” Finally Proverbs 20:19 says, “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.”
Bill Johnson says, “If God is enthroned on our praise, then who is enthroned on slander?”
Ouch! I don’t know about you, but that stops me dead in my tracks. Who do I want to partner with: God or the devil? God is always about edification and the building up of one another. We were created for this. We were created to elevate God and in turn are made to raise up each other.
Here are several scriptures that remind us of this truth:
Psalm 150:6 - “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”
Isaiah 43:21 - "The Lord tells us, 'I have made Israel for myself and they will someday honor me before the whole world.'"
Ephesians 4:29 - “...Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
Hebrews 3:13 - “But encourage one another daily as long as it is called 'Today' so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”
Colossians 3:1-4 - “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your REAL life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”
Loved ones, we are called to something higher than what we often settle for. The world has a way of getting us to focus on baseline level living. But in Jesus, there is always an upgrade offered to us. There is a Godly, heavenly, kingdom order to how we are to live.
As we elevate Christ, placing him on the throne of our lives, He restores our hearts and we naturally will elevate the people and the things around us.
Be encouraged today, and let the Lord be lifted high!!
Your Friend,
Rachel