Honoring Christ in Others

     "Honoring Christ" in someone, is an action I experienced recently, to God be the glory! It showed the work He had done in me, and came as a pleasant surprise.
     It involved someone who, in the past, I had not honored. Instead I had denied them any room for using their gifts, because I didn't like their method of presentation. Also, I am seeing now, they hijacked air time that I wanted to use for myself. I wanted a turn, and with them in the same room, that was difficult.
     So, with that in view, it exposes my own need for attention, admiration and validation. Because I have attempted to get those needs met through people, I have rejected them, tried to silence them, or  use any other method, (although subconsciously until now) to get these strong needs met.  When actions are exposed at the root by the Holy Spirit, the ugliness of them are revealed.
     But, praise God, the other night, when that same person was speaking as we gathered with a few others, God in me, took over, and the fight between me and my brother was over. By His power, I layed down my weapons, and "enjoyed" him telling what he knew, without feeling anxious to compete by trying to take the floor from him. I felt no need to say all that I had to say. The reason, I feel, is that He is cleansing me and making me whole, and this need for validation is being met by Him progressively in me, and His work was manifesting.
     I realized that my brother may have that same great need for validation, and as I yielded to Christ in me, by being quiet and "laying down my gloves", He was able to extend acceptance and love to him. He was being filled and fed, I felt, by God's Spirit, in these moments, and experiencing in his spirit, the true validation that only Christ can bring.
      Amazing to see what can happen, as a ripple effect in the Body, when one defers to Christ; both the one who defers is healed a little bit more and the one to who the deferment is made. I've noticed that when we are in God's will in relationship to others, each action can have this effect. He touches and moves on each one simultaneously. "If you lose your life, you will find it." And, Christ is glorified over all!