Be A River Not A Reservoir

One of the teachers I work with told me about  how her child had reported to her after a lesson on saving the environment, that smelly feet cause world wide pollution.  While we might all agree that smelly feet could stink up our personal environment, it's hard to imagine this being a global problem that would have been discussed in a first grade class.  After a little investigation, it turns out the student had learned about 'carbon footprints' and how we all leave behind pollution in our wake... Note to self:  always check out that students are learning the concepts I am teaching!


This example got me to thinking about a recent article I read by John Maxwell, one of the premier teachers on leadership and being a positive influence in the world.  In the article,entitled, The Two Greatest Days of Your Life, he makes the statement: "Highly successful people know their purpose in life, grow to their maximum potential and sow seeds that benefit others.  They don't live for themselves.  They're a river, not a reservoir.  They understand what significance is.  Significance is adding value to others."  This concept is so powerful. It encourages us to move beyond the importance of finding our purpose and following our dream.  It encourages us to move into how we can benefit and add value to the lives of others.  If becoming all we can be destroys others and costs us relationships, then we are being self serving and self-centered. Maximizing our God given gifts and talents should not just satisfy us and give us a sense of purpose and happiness.  It should benefit others as well.  Think about it... Are you a river or a reservoir?