I have learned over the last 15 years that people are essential to my success. With that in mind, those relationships need to be cultivated and nurtured. Proverbs 18:24 states, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Those you trust must have access to you! They should have your attention, time and access to your family, business and home. As a young pastor, I had our church ministering to people in impoverished neighborhoods several times a week. I counseled people who were members of other churches more than my own members. In other words, I neglected the people in my ministry who fully supported me and my vision, but I did not nurture or cultivate our almost sacred relationship. I learned to care for my own first, then those outside. Matthew 15:24 states, “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Jesus came for the lost sheep of Israel first. Let me help you relate to what I’m saying: sometimes we are kinder to the neighbor’s wife than we are to our own. We treat other folks’ children better than our own. You may cook a meal for your parents before your very own husband. The people who value family, friends, hard work and citizenship should have top-secret clearance to be in your inner circle. Nurture the people who share your values.
“Keep going, gather good people around you to do what you can’t, and focus on your gift.”
Anne Beiler, CEO of Auntie Anne’s Inc.
January 28, 2013