The Gift of Encouragement
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“Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1. Thessalonians 5:11
How our world needs encouragers, people who will inspire us with courage and hope. Do you know of someone like that?
Mr. Turner, an elderly gentleman in our church, was such an encourager to me. He would leave reassuring notes in my mail box that said, “We believe in you!” Sometimes he’d phone and say, “If ever you need to talk, remember Mrs. Turner and I are here for you.”
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When I arrived at their small townhouse, Mrs. Turner would serve me a cup of tea. Mr. Turner would position himself so he could hear me better. Then they’d listen intently. They never minimized my pain. They had no pat answers. They admitted that sometimes it is difficult to understand God’s ways. What I remember most about our visits is how valued I felt. Listening to them pray for me boosted my spirit and gave me hope to believe that God was still with me and He would see me through this.
I want to be an encourager like that, don’t you? These are some ways we can do it:
- Value others as God does. You will then treat each person with dignity and respect.
- Listen carefully without bringing in your own stories.
- Make a choice to build people up. “God never allows us to see another person’s faults so we may criticize them, but only that we might intercede (pray) for them,” writes Oswald Chambers.
- Praise them for the strengths you see in them.
Father, I thank you for each person who’s encouraged me on my faith journey. I want to encourage someone else today and build them up in the faith.
Question: Who has encouraged you in your faith? How can you return the favor to someone else that you know now?
About this Author: Helen Grace Lescheid
