constituents, comrades, and confidants - T.D. Jakes

This clip speaks for itself. It is from one of the greatest teachers in the clergy. Bishop Jakes presents a series on 'constituents, comrades, and confidants'. Throughout our lives we meet three types of people. We never really know where they fall in these categories until we are under attack. You can have people in your lives for years, believing that they are there for you no matter what you are going through, but something happens not of your own doing to show you exactly who these people really are. And you are all the better for it. It does not mean they have no meaning in your life. Sometimes people are in your life for their own purpose (constituents) and when they find someone who helps them get where they are going, they leave you and follow the cause that gets them there faster.

Sometimes you have comrades. Those are the people that you call upon when you go to battle. They, like the constituents are present for the temporary service that you provide. If you are not in battle or not in abundance, you shift back and forth from these two sectors of people. Then there is the confidant. All great leaders have one. Bishop Jakes states that you are blessed to have one, but abundantly blessed if you have three in the course of your life. You need all types of people in your life to learn about life. You simply need to know who is where and what position they play. We have all types of friends.

Most important, confidants are the people you can lay your trust in. They are there for the long-haul. They love you unconditionally. They are the people you tend to take for granted, unfortunately. If they leave you, they have not left you because they stop loving you. They leave because they are searching for the thing they provide for you but cannot find within you. It likely was not a relationship of perceived equality. The scales were drastically unbalanced. As a result, they lost favor in you and departed. If they return into your life make their importance in your life known to them. Say it out loud. Time is precious. And we take things that mean most to us and abuse it, believing it will not go away, but be there always. This is so far from the truth, since we know we lose loved ones to death always. Sometimes it leaves. And it is then, we realize that somethings and people are irreplaceable. We know this, but we gamble on it anyway. We wake up knowing and believing that the sun rises to meet us, and they will too.

True soulmates are believed to be each others confidant. They are there for each other without question.

Some years ago an associate of mine insisted that I look very carefully at the people in my life. I was blessed to hear this advice and blessed for following it. That day changed my life forever. To God, Be the Glory!