Are You a Delight or a Drag?
Have you ever noticed that some people leave you feeling energized, while others leave you feeling drained?
Most of us enjoy being around people who refresh us. They encourage us, challenge us in healthy ways, and somehow leave us with more hope than we had before. On the other hand, we've all been around people who seem to sap our emotional, physical, or spiritual strength. If we're honest, we've probably gone out of our way to avoid them from time to time.
That raises an important question:
Which kind of person are you becoming?
Are you becoming someone who refreshes others, or someone who unintentionally weighs them down?
Being a delight to others doesn't begin with trying harder to be nice. It begins by being regularly refreshed by the Lord. He alone is the source of real life. Jesus said, "Whoever believes in me...streams of living water will flow from within them" (John 7:38).
As we spend time with Him and respond to the Holy Spirit in faith, His life begins to overflow into ours. He teaches us to think, love, and live more like Jesus. He reshapes our attitudes, our words, and our responses. He teaches us how to genuinely care for people and become a source of encouragement and life.
I'm not talking primarily about personality. Some people are naturally outgoing or pleasant, while others are more reserved. This isn't about temperament. It's about character.
God wants to make each of us into someone He can use to positively impact the lives of others. He wants us to care the way He cares. He calls us to "consider others more important than yourselves" and to "look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:3-4).
That kind of life isn't something we can produce on our own.
The bad news is that we can't do it ourselves.
The good news is that we don't have to.
God delights to fill us with His Spirit and continually transform us so that we become more like Christ—more encouraging, more life-giving, and more of a delight to those around us. What an incredible invitation!
Three Steps to Becoming a Delight
1. Receive and remain in God's love.
Never take God's love for granted. Keep receiving it. Keep resting in it. Keep remaining in it.
Jesus said, "Love each other as I have loved you" (John 15:12).
Our ability to love others will never exceed the measure to which we are receiving and living in Christ's love ourselves.
2. Delight yourself in the Lord.
Make Him the greatest delight of your life. As you treasure Him, you'll begin to treasure what He treasures.
And what does He treasure most? The people He created in His image.
The more deeply you love God, the more He will fill your heart with His love for others. As Psalm 37:4 reminds us, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Over time, your desires become more like His.
3. Intentionally build others.
Look beyond yourself. Take time to notice what is happening in the lives of the people around you—and perhaps what isn't happening. Ask God what He wants to do in their lives, and then be willing to cooperate with Him through prayer, encouragement, practical help, or simply being present.
This is much more than being kind. It's partnering with God in His work.
Jesus told His disciples, "I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last" (John 15:16).
As you become a source of God's life and love to others, you will bear fruit that lasts.
So today, ask yourself one simple question:
When people spend time with me, do they leave more refreshed, more hopeful, and more aware of God's love?
By God's grace, we can all become the kind of people who bring life wherever we go.
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