Proverbs is full of contrasting statements; or as I like to call them “flip sides”. One of those is Proverbs 12:25. “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” I have written before about the heavy weight of worry, but I don’t think we can ever give enough attention to the power of a few encouraging words.
Jesus commanded us to love one another. (John 15:17) Paul wrote that we should show our love by encouraging one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:11) The Bible is full of examples of God encouraging his people through his word and his Holy Spirit and then his people in turn encouraging each other. This blog would not have been possible without the encouragement of all of the pastors at Christian Life Center and especially Josh Moran, who designed my website and provided the platform for it. As a well-known preacher once said when someone praised one of his sermons, “I will keep the encouragement and pass the praise on to God who is the only one deserving of praise.”
We’ve all heard about “paying it forward” with random acts of kindness. One of my friends has tried to take that a step farther with random words of encouragement. Whenever she sees something positive about a person, even a total stranger, she sincerely compliments them about it. Sometimes it sparks a more in depth conversation. Often it is just said in passing. But it might well be the only positive thing that person has heard about themselves in a long time and could have a long lasting impact on them. When we follow Paul’s advice, we will be sensitive to those positive qualities in others and be in a position to encourage them. “And now, dear brothers and sisters one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8)
A word of caution; be very careful when complimenting a member of the opposite sex because they might misunderstand it as flirting, especially if they are not used to being treated with respect and kindness. That actually happened to me once and instead of lifting her up with my words, I had to let her down and hurt her feelings by telling her I was happily married. I am comfortable now encouraging my sisters in Christ because they all understand that our love for each other is not romantic. By the same token, my brothers in Christ and I are open about our Christian love for each other. I think the answer is to only speak encouraging words as and when the Holy Spirit prompts you and not to everyone you meet.
I hope you find my blog as encouraging as I intend it to be. I have certainly been encouraged by the feedback I have received.