BE A DROP GIVER!

      You've noticed, I'm sure, that there are "dippers" and "drop givers" in the world. There are people who go out of their way to fill another person's bucket of self-esteem, and there are many... who look for every opportunity to dip into someone else's bucket. I don't know why, but dipping into another person's bucket of self-esteem seems to give them pleasure. Maybe it makes them feel better about themselves. Maybe they're just fixated on the negative, but they seldom miss an opportunity to bring someone else down. You've known many "dippers" yourself, I'm sure. Instead of enjoying the power of the song, they harp on a note sung off-key. Instead of enjoying the beauty of the poem, they fixate on a "typo" in the poem. Instead of applauding a job well done, they try their best to find a mistake. Well, I've got news for the dippers. We all hear the notes that are sung off-key; we can all see that there are "typos" in the story... but we loved the music and the story anyway. You see, those of us who have learned the art of "giving drops" are not unaware. We have discovered that there is joy in filling up someone else's bucket of self-esteem.

      When I was in the business world, I worked with a company who had copyrighted a practice that they called "Drops for Your Bucket," and they were kind enough to give us permission to use it. So, we did. We drew drops on paper and we made them big and small. We ran copies in all sorts of different colors and we encouraged our employees to use them whenever they had an opportunity to affirm someone else. We supplied "drops" to grown men and women and invited them to be "drop givers"... and they did. In large numbers. They developed the art of looking for positive qualities and they took the time to respond in specific ways. We made it possible for people to share affirming words with each other and they did. They affirmed acts big and small. They thanked others for supporting them, for accomplishing particular things, for listening to them, for visiting them, or for helping them achieve a goal of some sort. 

      The "drops" weren't designed to be formal.They were simply our way of tapping into the power of affirming words and they were a big hit "back in the day." A writer named Sam Crabtree has written 100 specific ways in which we can affirm one another and I will cite just a few, Crabtree notes that we can... 1) commend the usefulness of an idea that solves a problem. Break away from the agenda for a moment and say, "That was an excellent suggestion. Thanks;" 2) let someone know that you admire a quality of theirs. "You know, Morgan, I haven't said it before, but I really love your music. Thanks," 3) find someone whom you are thankful for, and tell them that you are. "I just want you to know that it makes me feel good to have you on our team;" 4) tell someone that you are praying for him or her, and that God has placed them on your heart; and 5) Ask someone's advice and act on it. There are 95 more and dozens that you can add yourselves, but you have the idea. Develop the art of affirming the good in others. Be sincere, be specific, be faithful in your ministry of affirmation. 

      It's not hard to do. Just open your eyes to the Christ that abides in each one of us and affirm what God is doing in another person's life. It's not a matter of flattering someone else, but rather, the ability and willingness to honestly affirm that another person has touched your life, or that you've noticed that he or she is growing, or trying, or helping, or simply being present to you. God affirmed his Son after his baptism and again on the Mount of Transfiguration- "this is my Son, with whom I am well pleased." Christ often affirmed others for their faith and acts of service, and as people of faith, many of us look forward to hearing the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" Perhaps, one of the ministries that God is calling you to undertake is simply the ministry of lifting others up by giving them drops for their buckets. Remember, affirming words can build others up, encourage them to go on, comfort them. and even change their lives. These things lie at the very core of what it means to be a "minister."