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Encouragement 101
Encouragement 101
A children’s Bible class was concerned about a member of the church who was in the hospital. The teacher brought a get-well card and asked the children to sign it and write a Bible verse after their name. As the students began flipping through their Bibles to find verses, one little boy stumbled upon the following verse for his selection: “Truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny” -Matthew 5:26.
As funny as this story is, the sad reality is that some Christians are just as inept at the art of encouragement as that little boy. They don’t know what to say or do when someone is in need of encouragement — or, even worse, they simply don’t care. Ever known anybody like that? Ever been anybody like that? I think we can all agree that there is always room for improvement in this particular area of our lives. Perhaps it will help to break down encouragement into three simple steps:
1) EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. This is the capacity to gauge the emotional state of the people around you. When someone you know is discouraged, it should be obvious; and it will be if you are paying attention to the individual’s emotional wellbeing (Neh. 2:2).
2) COMPASSION. Once you detect discouragement, you should “put on a heart of compassion” (Col. 3:12) toward the person. This will only be possible if you have already cultivated of a selfless mentality that cares about the needs of others more than your own (Phil. 2:3).
3) ACTION. Ultimately, in order to lift others up we must pro-actively “encourage the fainthearted” (1 Thess. 5:14) and “build up one another” (1 Thess. 5:11). How do we do this? Primarily, by speaking words of encouragement. “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29). Edifying words leave people better than we found them. The goal is to habitually make verbal deposits into one another’s emotional tanks on a regular basis, as Hebrews 3:13instructs: “But encourage one another day after day.”
What else can we do to lift up our brethren, besides speaking words of encouragement? There are plenty of things. We can listen to the discouraged, sit with the grieving, visit the sick, serve the unfortunate, pray with the fearful, study with the doubtful, sacrifice our rights for the weak, and get actively involved in the Kingdom. Every interaction with our brethren is an opportunity to encourage them in one way or another.
In my experience I have found that most Christians are practically starving for encouragement and that even the smallest of efforts to lift them up can make a huge impact. All that is required is emotional intelligence, compassion andaction. Following these three simple steps has the potential to literally transform the lives of others.
