In 2006, a friend distributed a daily devotional email to a small group of friends. Over the weeks and months his audience grew as those of us in the group shared the emails with friends and family.

Over time, guest authors were invited to write one of the daily messages. I was honored when I my friend tapped me on the shoulder and told me it was my time to put the pen in my hand.

Little did I know that message would be the first of hundreds of messages to date and countless hundreds and thousands of messages inside me, yet to be written.

The message I wrote then still rings true today.

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A recent TV commercial for a national insurance company portrays a series of good deeds witnessed by different men and women, who in turn, are prompted to perform good deeds for others. This ongoing series of doing for others as it has been done for them has been described as “paying it forward.”

Many people mistakenly believe the phrase “pay it forward” as a moral philosophy first appeared in Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novel Pay It Forward, which in 2000 was adapted into a feature film.

While reading Scripture I learned that the concept of “paying it forward” was recommended when the Apostle Paul wrote about it in his second letter to the Corinthians:

“He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” 2 Corinthians 1:3–5 (The Message)

There was a period of about six to eight months last year when I was going through some difficult and trying times both personally and professionally. I often struggled to just make it through the day. Helping others wasn’t on my mind. It took every ounce of energy to focus on myself. I wasn’t interested in helping anyone else and even if I did want to help I resigned myself to the belief that I could not be helpful to anyone else.

As I continue to recover from mistakes of my past, I have been stunned by the number of opportunities to support and encourage friends who are also going through hard times — sometimes eerily similar hard times. Even if it meant simply being available to listen to a friend and act as a sounding board for them.

It is humbling, surprising, rewarding and good to give to others. At first I didn’t feel qualified, but I now believe that this is God’s plan for me; that I should live a life continually “pay it forward”. My purpose is to selflessly give to others out of what I have received from Him.

Zig Ziglar, a well-known contemporary motivational speaker said, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” I have started to give to others what I’ve received from God.

Developing the habit of serving others can begin by simply holding a door open for someone at the office/store/mall, doing the dishes without being asked or doing the laundry at home.

Opportunities abound to give to others, and we will see and hear opportunities to serve others that have had experiences like our when we start to look for them. Once we become willing to share our lives with others, those with need suddenly appear.

My purpose is to selflessly give to others out of what I have received from Him.

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I continue to attack my demons .. especially Little Nicky .. and focus on helping those whose path I am placed on, be it personally or professionally.

I still have my bad moments and fail at being selfless, but I learned something from Deion Sanders, when he says "I Don't Have Bad Days. I may have a bad moment, a bad minute, even a bad hour, but I never have a bad day because I control the thermostat. You DO NOT have the remote to turn me on and off."

Check him out in his own words ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_M80Ec_rKg

I’m not perfect … nobody is.

But… I have taken control of my thermostat and do experience the greatest joy when I do Pay it Forward.