"APPRECIATE TO BE APPRECIATED"

Scripture: Proverbs 11:25    

"Appreciate" has multiple meanings. Dictionary.com gives at least four. "To be grateful or thankful; to value or regard highly; and, "to be fully conscious of". The definition that we don't give quite as much attention to is the one that reads "to raise in value". When we say "I appreciate you" we are most often referring to one of the first three definitions. The last of these is just as significant.

Proverbs 11:25 in the New American Standard Bible reads: "The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered." When we focus on raising the value of another person we automatically raise our own value. When we appreciate someone else by both planting seeds of wisdom and then watering the seed through mentorship, coaching, or simply giving advice, we ultimately appreciate our selves. The person who waters another person is the person who gets watered.

Marvin J. Ashton challenged us by saying "Leave others better than you found them." Find someone who needs to get to where you are and appreciate them. See the potential in someone else and water it and watch how quickly you reach your own potential.

How often do you hear people say "I don't feel appreciated?" Rather than reaching for the Kleenex box and sympathizing with them, challenge them to water another's life and find the secret to being appreciated. The one who waters will himself be watered. The one who raises another will himself be raised. Appreciate to be appreciated.