{"id":1761,"date":"2011-10-01T01:00:13","date_gmt":"2011-10-01T05:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=1761"},"modified":"2011-09-30T08:42:59","modified_gmt":"2011-09-30T12:42:59","slug":"becoming-an-encourager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/becoming-an-encourager.html","title":{"rendered":"Becoming an encourager"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is something that you and I \u00a0can do which will change people\u2019s lives.\u00a0 It is very simple.\u00a0 It won\u2019t cost you a penny. \u00a0It will make you feel better. \u00a0In fact, it will change your life as well as others.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u00a0Thessalonians 4:18 tells us to encourage each other. \u00a0Christianity is the voice of encouragement. \u00a0Jesus came to help us understand that God loves us and that we were good enough because we are more than God’s creation. \u00a0From the beginning of time, God has planned to redeem us. \u00a0There are so many things that tear us down in this world. \u00a0People are hurting and needing help. \u00a0Uncertainty–because of lost jobs and plunging stock markets–leaves all of us panting for breathe as though we’ve run a marathon.<\/p>\n

In the book of Judges, we have the fascinating story of Deborah and Barak. \u00a0A general in the army, Barak, was commissioned to go to the front lines by God. \u00a0However, he made a deal with the king’s resident judge, Deborah. \u00a0He said, “If you will go with me, I will go.” \u00a0Deborah agreed and God gave them a great victory.<\/p>\n

Deborah encouraged Barak to do the right thing and\u00a0God\u2019s people were saved from an evil king. \u00a0If sometimes lose sight of the fact that encouragement changes people and may even alter history. \u00a0If this is true, then I should be asking, “To whom should I give encouragement?” \u00a0The simplest answer is everyone.<\/p>\n

Friends and family come first. \u00a0Little notes of praise posted on Facebook or Twitter can change a friend’s day. \u00a0Praise for your parents or children as they leave for the day will go with them until they are back home again. \u00a0A call to your husband during lunch to let him know that you are praying for him and you appreciate his working all day will deepen your relationship.<\/p>\n

Your enemy and people who do you wrong will be harder to encourage but it can be done. \u00a0Catch them off guard. \u00a0Tell them how much you appreciate something they have done. \u00a0Years ago, I had a woman who didn’t like me or anything I did. \u00a0Yet we were stuck together through our employment. \u00a0I started rehearsing in my mind things I would say to her that would encourage her. \u00a0Believe me, I had to repeat to myself again and again what I would say. \u00a0At times, I would become so frustrated in her presence that I would forget my speech but I continued to rehearse. \u00a0Finally, it became second nature for me to encourage her. \u00a0She never changed her opinion of me. \u00a0However, she did change her employment and that was even better.<\/p>\n

How do we give encouragement to others? \u00a0Say, \u201cYou look nice today,\u201d and mean it. \u00a0Your\u00a0compliments must be sincere and truthful. \u00a0There is something you can say that is nice about everyone. \u00a0“I really like your hair.” \u00a0“Those are great shoes.”<\/p>\n

Learn to practice random acts of kindness and love. \u00a0Make this part of your life. \u00a0Encouragement can and should be more than a bumpersticker.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>One of the most fun things you can do is encourage people you don\u2018t know. \u00a0Have a nervous or slow cashier? \u00a0Tell him you aren’t rushing him and he is doing a good job. \u00a0Years ago, I encountered a worker at Wal-Mart who was the most nervous person I’d ever met as she waited on me. \u00a0She apologized, “This is my first day.” \u00a0This was a woman who was so down trodden that I wanted to embrace her and let her know that life would get better for her.<\/p>\n

“Wow,” I said. \u00a0“For your first day, you are doing a great job.” \u00a0I prayed for her every time I was in the store. \u00a0Whenever she waited on me, I would encourage her. \u00a0Slowly, I began to see radical changes in her. \u00a0Now, she smiled at her customers. \u00a0She stood taller. \u00a0Even her clothes and the way she wore them changed. \u00a0Over the course of two or three years, I marked her progress silently.<\/p>\n

One day while she was on break, I approached her. \u00a0I explained that she had waited on me her first day and that I’d been praying for her ever since and I could not believe the improvements I’d seen in her life and appearance. \u00a0I told her that I knew that God loved her very much because He had really urged me to pray for her. \u00a0A bit stunned, she quietly thanked me. \u00a0Later, as I walked away, she pulled herself up taller and smiled.<\/p>\n

I’ve found that when I encourage others, I become part of God\u2018s plan for that person. God, the Father, wants blessing and goodness to fall to everyone. \u00a0There may be no greater blessing for you than being a small part of allowing God mercy and grace fall on someone else through your encouragement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is something that you and I \u00a0can do which will change people\u2019s lives.\u00a0 It is very simple.\u00a0 It won\u2019t cost you a penny. \u00a0It will make you feel better. \u00a0In fact, it will change your life as well as others. I\u00a0Thessalonians 4:18 tells us to encourage each other. \u00a0Christianity is the voice of encouragement.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,40,287,186,49,215,85,4,41],"tags":[21,688,135,699,726,715,701,57,6,700],"class_list":["post-1761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-faith","category-faiths","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-love","category-prayer-2","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-encouragement","tag-faith","tag-faiths","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-prayer","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nBecoming an encourager - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/becoming-an-encourager.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Becoming an encourager - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There is something that you and I \u00a0can do which will change people\u2019s lives.\u00a0 It is very simple.\u00a0 It won\u2019t cost you a penny. \u00a0It will make you feel better. \u00a0In fact, it will change your life as well as others. 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