Brother Bruce Ray visited us at the hospital to encourage us. He even sat through my leg biopsy and, unlike me, he didn’t wince once!
It seems to be an essential element of living well. We all need encouragement. Some will encourage us to follow misdirected ways. But we all have the opportunity to encourage others and ourselves in positive, even life-changing ways. I’m reminded of the story of the high school girl who, on the way home, dropped all her books. As she stooped to pick them up, a classmate – actually a stranger to her – bent down to help her. “Why are you helping me? No one ever helps me, or even knows I am here.” As they walked together along the sidewalk, the first girl confessed she was going home to kill herself because there was no purpose in living. But she confided in her new friend that she had changed her mind because of the seemingly small act of encouragement of someone who dared to care and give her hope. For her, there there might not have been a “tomorrow.” That’s why our focus should be on encouraging others today, while time remains.
Encouragement is a strong theme in the bible as an example of how we should live our lives. Leaders are called to encourage their “troops”and we are urged to encourage each other. God encourages us by listening to our cries, IF we have faith to believe him at his Word. One of the reasons Jesus gave us his own Spirit was to encourage us in our darkness, most confusing and painful times. We are encouraged when we are reminded of our reason for hope and perseverance.
We are encouraged by visits and by visiting others if we free ourselves from feeling “interrupted.” Sometimes encouragement is the very purpose of our day as we encounter others. Rather than thinking of such reunions as “coincidences” you might think of them as “God incidences.” We can sometimes encourage others “accidentally” by what we unintentionally say or do, but more often it is an intentional act and we prioritize our time and others resources just for that purpose.
Encouragement strengthens us and gives us hope. It renews our faith. It becomes light in the darkness of our sorrow. I wonder, have you discovered how cultivating your thankful heart brings encouragement to your soul? Thanking others often does the same for them. If you were to make a list of all the ways you feel encouraged by the words, actions, or the simple presence of others, you probably have a good start on a list of how you can intentionally encourage others yourself.
We chase careers, hobbies, life dreams and pursuits. What if you get to the end of life and discover it wasn’t about those things at all, but instead the goal was to be an encourager, one who equips and shines the light of hope on their path? It’s a higher calling than many others we might pursue.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
