Having awareness of our surroundings might be the most typical way of thinking about the word; however, I want to think about awareness not in terms of ourselves but of others. 

Thinking about the well-being of others, how we can be helpful, and even better, thinking about how we can help others as a priority over helping ourselves.  This is not something that is learned overnight.  For me, it is something I am intentional about pursuing.

The first step of awareness is recognizing that you’re thinking about others; their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.  If you are having trouble, pray about it.  Ask Jesus to guide you to ways you can assist others.

For many of us, we also have to gain the courage to step out of our comfort zone and be helpful.  Sometimes people don’t want help, but having an awareness shows compassion.

When someone is not ready for assistance or encouragement, I silently pray for them.  I pray for them to be healed, and I pray Jesus helps me do a better job of addressing their needs.  Always proactively thanking Jesus for his solution.

As I gain awareness of the needs of others and pray for them, solutions start to form, and it is time to move prayer to action.  The action might be sitting with a person, being present, sharing a meal, spending some time together, allowing the person to talk, and being a good listener.

The action might be in the form of encouragement, such as acknowledging someone having a difficult day or dealing with an unfortunate circumstance.  Or it might recognize how someone is doing outstanding work on a project, going above and beyond.

Moving our awareness to action can be challenging, particularly if we are afraid, embarrassed, or concerned it might be interfering.  I take my concerns to Jesus through prayer, and when I feel peace with the solution, I take action. 

Jesus will lead you to the right way to address the awareness or the need if you listen.  Opportunities will arise, and if there are none, that means your prayer was what was needed.  There have been many times when I was not helpful in the situation, yet I saw my prayer be set into action by Jesus.

I love to think of awareness in terms of looking beyond the concern for ourselves to that of others.

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