Provide for others by building into yourself
I think of all that I want to provide for my daughter- quality time, a safe and calm environment, a sense of courage, integrity, kindness. The more I think of what I want to be able to instil in her, the more I have to remember that I can only provide something that I have myself. If I want to provide peace, I have to be at peace. If I want to provide a sense of integrity, generosity and kindness, I have to be showing those qualities myself.
I am constantly reminded that it is vital to be building into myself in order to build into others effectively. It isn’t a selfish pursuit. It can certainly cross over into selfishness when all I am interested in is providing for my own needs but this is different. What margins do you need to build into your own life in order to be more able to give of yourself, your time and your resources? I don’t have that figured out perfectly, but I am in progress.
This extends to all of my relationships. I expect my friends to be a listening ear, to pay attention to what is important to me, to stay in touch and yet often I am not providing that same level of friendship to them. I get stuck in a negative thought loop about this at times and am working to keep truth and perspective at the forefront of my mind.
Written as part of Five Minute Friday in response to the prompt word “provide.” I join many other writers writing freely and unedited for 5 minutes each week. You can read what others wrote here.
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