The Gift Of Encouragement
A spoken word.
It can change your mood. Change your heart posture. Change the trajectory of your life.
No doubt, one of the best gifts I’ve ever received is the gift of encouragement. There are too many occasions to count where this gift has transformed my life. I’m thinking you may feel the same?
The days of deep heartache. The days that felt more like never-ending carousels. Those days that were just an overall pain in the rear. When you heard that familiar voice or read the text…it impacted you. It may never have even come close to touching the circumstance you were in. In fact, things may have gotten worse. But, knowing there was someone walking alongside you made all the difference. Our beloved friends understand our hurt, and they nurture those tender places. Encouragement you see is a salve on our wounded hearts and souls.
Encouragement heals us.
And on the flip side, we all require words from time to time that ignite the best within us. That gives us a nudge in the right direction. These wonderful people in our lives called friends see our dark sides and gently push us into the light. We can “ugly cry” or dance the happy dance with these people. We can talk in our run-on sentences and find them still listening.
Encouragement prompts us to better things.
Maybe you’re in a season where the last thing you can do is think about encouraging someone else. You feel buried by the weight of everyday life and frankly, YOU need encouragement yourself. May I suggest you soak in the words of our loving God and His encouragement in His Word? Even if you don’t feel like reading it, do it anyway. Find the rest that you need in Him (Matthew 11:28). Find the abundant life you long for in Him. (John 10:10) Find hope for better days in Him, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God.” (Proverbs 42:11)
Speak encouraging, life-giving words that build others up. It will not only change those around you, but it will change you. “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25)