Our lives never seem long enough to learn everything we need to know from scratch. True success in life can only really come when we find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to know. But how often do we stop and reflect on the contribution these people have made to our lives? Do we sometimes find ourselves thinking like the young child striving for a sense of independence, falsely believing that we have been able to 'do it all ourselves'?
Many of these people who have been significant in our lives have learnt an important lesson. They have found a sense of meaning outside of themselves and their own needs. They have understood the principle that we're not put on this earth for our own ends, but we are placed here for others.
Take a moment to think about those individuals who have influenced you now and in the past. For when we really stop to look at our companions on life's journey, we can celebrate the differences between us and share in our similarities. And if you are there always for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you. Then we can all reach our God given potential together. As the writer of the Psalms celebrated;