The Way I See It #237

I rarely even the read the cups that I'm handing out to espresso-craving customers. But today this one caught my attention. If you're having trouble reading tiny inverted print, it says:

"It's relationships, not programs, that change children. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community."

--Bill Milliken (founder and vice chairman of Communites in Schools, author of Tough Love and The Last Dropout)

This quote could easily be altered to apply to a broader audience: "It's relationships, not programs, that change people. A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form. People thrive when someone cares about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community."

It challenges me NOT to see people as a means to an end (whether in church, Starbucks, or my neighborhood) but to see people as fellow image-bearers who enrich my own life & community with their presence and contribution.