Encouragement


Encouraging others is one of the simplest things we can do for others - and one of the most powerful. I suppose this is something I have known most of my life, but it has not been until recently that I have begun to give it a lot of thought. 

Dictionary.com defines the word “encourage” as this: 

1. to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence: His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.
  1. to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc.: One of the chief duties of a teacher is to encourage students.
That website’s thesaurus offers the following alternatives:
animate, applaud, boost, brighten, buck up, buoy, cheer, cheer up, comfort, console, embolden, energize, enhearten, enliven, excite, exhilarate, fortify, galvanize, give shot in arm, gladden, goad, hearten, incite, inspire, inspirit, instigate, praise, prick, prop up, psych up, push, rally, reassure, refresh, restore, revitalize, revivify, rouse, spur, steel, stir, strengthen, sway

Since our son died last year, I have received uncountable numbers of encouragement from friends, family, former coworkers and church folks. All of these have propped me up, made me feel good and valuable. Even the most concise words such as, “I’m sorry,” “praying for you,” “you are loved,” and “you are in my thoughts” have lifted my spirits. Through these affirmations I learn that I am loved, am valued and important to others.

I have a couple of close friends who always take time to encourage me. And I’m not just talking about our loss of Daniel. Almost every time I talk to, text or email these few friends, they mention something about me that I appreciate and by which I am uplifted.  And to be completely honest, I have never needed such affirmations more than I do at this time in my life. 

Other than Daniel’s death, which is hard enough, I am morbidly obese, I’m not growing old gracefully or easily, I have diabetes, sleep apnea and congestive heart failure. I’m not looking for sympathy regarding these things because my health problems are my own fault since they stem from being fat. I cannot seem to stop eating and doing it poorly. I almost always give in to my desires. I’m just trying to get across the point that I am hurting and the encouragement I receive helps me to feel better and to be hopeful. Of course, the greatest hope I have is that when I do die, I will go to heaven and live with God forever. However, I’m really not ready for that yet. 

Now, to the main suggestion of this post. I want to ask you to consider being an encouragement to those around you - family, friends, coworkers, store clerks, bus drivers, neighbors, everyone, even those you do not particularly like. 
Some of my favorite words from the above thesaurus list are: energize, cheer up, enlighten, galvanize and restore. 

I won’t bore you with the things I hear from my closest friends regarding why they hold me in high esteem. Primarily, this is because it might come across as sounding like I am beating my own drum and/or embarrass me. In fact I’v informed two of these guys to cease and desist. I’ve told them, “Look, you think I’m cool and I think you’re cool, so let’s agree on it and stop the love fest, ok.” This is not to say that what we say to one another is not true, but I’ve heard it enough so that I don’t need to keep hearing from them.

But I don’t want you to hold back from lifting up those around you because it is good for them for you to do it. It also shows these folks that you are a kind person and don’t always just think of yourself. Remember, that any encouragement you offer to someone may be all that person ever gets. This is sad because complimenting another is such an easy thing to do. I try more and more to edify my friends and family because I have learned how good it is for them. Some of the things I say  and text to them include, “I am thinking of you. I hope you’re doing well. I am praying for you.” 

Sometimes, when I am conversing with a friend, I’ll think of something I like and appreciate about them. I’ll say something like, “I’ve noticed that you are very articulate and agree with what you have to say about [a particular subject]. Or, “I noticed how you handled that situation and I agree with you 100%.” The key to complimenting someone is that you be genuine about it.

Currently, I have a close friend who is going through some tough times regarding his health as well as marital problems. Every couple of days I text him to say I am thinking about and praying for him. He let me know the other day that he is deeply grateful for these short communications and that he is encouraged by them. For me, this is such a small thing to do, just sending a text, but for him, it is uplifting.  

So, please consider, calling or texting someone you care about to let them know they are on your heart. You never can tell just how comforting this may be to someone. 




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