Articles
Add Value to Others
There is a saying, “The more you add value, the more you are valued.” Correspondingly, the Lord said, “It is more blessed to give than receive.”
Think about that. That is diametrically opposed to our “Me” society today. People are worried about whether they are getting “theirs” or not. People want to make sure they receive what they feel like is owed to them. Grab, grasp and get is the motto.
But the people that make the greatest contribution to our lives are the people who give, serve, encourage, and care. They first give themselves (2 Cor. 8:5). Think of that moment when someone added value to your life. The one who stooped to serve and lifted us up. Maybe we were simply in the doldrums of life. Maybe it was a dark place. Maybe a loss of great significance. Maybe marriage or parenting challenges that someone helped resolve. We value the one who brings us great value. The one who serve and cares. Paul said of Onesiphorus, “He sought me out and oft refreshed me.” People who add value to our lives are a breath of fresh air.
To add value does not have to be some gigantic expenditure of effort. I read, “A smile costs less than electricity but gives much light” (Abbe Pierre). From the youngest to the oldest, we can add value to each other’s lives. Everybody can smile. We sing, “If your happy and you know it….” Maybe sometimes we need to tell our face we are happy. The frowns that wrinkle our brow do not say that. So, add value to someone and give them a heartfelt smile.
Another very simple way to add value to another person is a simple, “Thank you.” Everyone who can talk can say, “Thank you.” “There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.” “You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). We add value to people by thanking them for being there when we needed them the most. Acknowledging their help through all those tough times in life. Thanking them for standing with us and standing by us. Thanking them for being such a good friend. And yes, sometimes being thankful for the correction and rebuke when needed.
Another way to add value is take the lead in putting others first (Rom. 12:10). Putting others first is the way we love without hypocrisy. Putting others first shows our devotion to one another. Brotherly love expresses itself by leading the way to ensure others receive honor and respect. Practicing the Golden Rule is a practical way we add value to others. When we treat others as we want to be treated if we were in the same situation, we slay selfishness. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3–4). This is how true love functions. It gets to the front of the line, not to receive its own honors, but to show honor and respect for other people.
Our greatest value to others is to be a servant. “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant” (Mark. 10:43). “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark. 10:45).
Rickie Jenkins
