Affirmation part 4
Dictionary.com defines "Affirmation" as, "the act or an instance of affirming; state of being affirmed." Which isn't super helpful. But it also defines "Affirmation" as, "the assertion that something exists or is true." And that's what I'm talking about! To me affirming someone is acknowledging them for who they are. Not trying to change them, or force them to be what we think they should be. And that word "true..." Come on. That's easy. We affirm people by telling them the truth. Not by telling them what to do, but by telling them who they are. Jesus--the Way, the Truth, and the Life--is our true identity. So all we need to do is the same thing the Holy Spirit does; Lead and guide people into the truth by testifying of Jesus! See, we don't stick our head in the sand and ignore the facts of the matter. And we don't put ourselves in bad situations if we can help it. But we do understand that truth is higher than fact. And if I can see the light in you--the Jesus in me connecting to the Jesus in you--then I can see the TRUTH in you. You may have lied, but that doesn't make you a liar. You may have failed, but that doesn't make you a failure. You may have stumbled... you may have even fallen flat on your face. But, "...a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again..." (Proverbs 24:16). And if I see you fall (but I understand that everybody makes mistakes) then instead of kicking you while you're down I can help you up. I can affirm you. I can say, "You exist. You're a person. You're thoughts and feelings are valid, whether I agree with them or not." I read somewhere that it's more important to be kind than to be right. And I absolutely agree. Because a lot of times in my life I've been RIGHT, and it hasn't mattered in the slightest. I think people who try the hardest to be right are some of the lonliest people on earth. But people who can connect with people on all sorts of different levels, those are the people who can make a difference. The Apostle Paul said it like this, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22). The Message Bible says it like this, "...I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ--but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view..." Walk a mile in someone else's shoes, right? Don't dismiss them as "wrong," just because you think you're "right." Let people have opinions. Let people have the room, and the grace, to try stuff out. Affirm them. Validate them. Love them. It takes all the parts of the body to make this thing go. Because, again, there are some things I can do that you can't. And some things you can do that I can't. But if I try to stop you from doing what you do just because it's different than what I do, then I've cut off a piece of the body. I've amputated something that was healthy and productive. I've condemned something that I should have been affirming. You exist. You are true. And what true about Jesus is what's true about you. So don't try to be anybody else. Just be you. (I think I sound like Dr. Seuss so I'm gonna stop for today... just know that you are valuable, and unique, and loved!)