Heavenly Father,
Thank You for giving us encouragement. We are lifted by the Holy Spirit (mighty
dunamis!!) - Your Sacred Scriptures - by personal prayer and meditation - by the prayers and support of the saints - by family and friends and, sometimes, even strangers. You have given each of us creative abilities so that in Christ we are capable, competent and qualified to be all that You created us to be. Even in our weaknesses, Your grace is sufficient. Your power rests upon us to resist feelings and thoughts of rejection because we are accepted, loved and favored by You - the Most High God.
No matter how hard we try to be consistently upbeat and positive, there are down days. Still You provide rescue from the slimy pit of the downcast. Thank You for prompting us to help others feel good about themselves, as well. Serving others in positive, selfless ways means praising, supporting and sharing one another's burdens.
I give You thanks and praise for the gift of encouragement and think of my most loved ones:
Encouraging Marc in his new job! A whole new lifestyle with terrific potential and position,
Encouraging Chip in is ongoing recovery and the process of the job search and now as a Reeves mentor,
Encouraging Rebecca in her job search and in the final weeks of study, for remaining healthy and injury free,
Encouraging Alyssa now training others with service skills and taking on new leadership responsibilities,
Encouraging Bob to pursue medical counsel for his progressing neuropathy, in his business ventures and for
both of us in short-term/long-term planning.....encouraging one another to be all that we can be and to enjoy
ourselves along the way.
Lord, You have been so faithful to our little family - always true. We aspire to be faithful to You and obedient to Your Will and Way as we encourage and accept the beautiful gift of encouragement from others. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen
But now, this is what the
Lord says—
he who created
you, Jacob,
he who formed
you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed
you;
I have summoned you by name;
you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the
Lord your God,
the Holy One
of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt
for your ransom,
Cush
[a] and Seba
in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored
in my sight,
and because I love
you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid,
for I am with you;
I will bring your children
from the east
and gather
you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south,
‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters
from the ends of the earth
—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created
for my glory,
whom I formed and made.
” - Isaiah 43:1-7
Change is Like a Slinky by Hans Finzel
Encouragement is oxygen to the soul. – George Adams
Robert Fulton was utterly discouraged with his invention of the steamboat. The public had scoffed him and said it would never work. Fulton was about to give into this verdict when a man boarded his boat and asked if he could take him to New York in it. Fulton said he would try – for $6. That man became the first person in history to pay for a trip on a steamboat. This act of encouragement so buoyed Fulton that four years later, when he met this first passenger again, he told him “The vivid emotions caused by your paying me that first passage money will always be remembered. That, sir, seemed the turning point in my destiny – the dividing line between light and darkness – the first actual recognition of my usefulness from my fellowmen.”
Henry Ford said, “The ability to encourage others is one of life’s finest assets” He knew for he had been the target of severe criticism and ridicule when he invented the gasoline engine for the automobile. Most mechanical engineers were convinced electric carriages were the cars of the future. Thomas Edison heard his plan, however, and with one sentence of encouragement he changed history. He said to Ford, “Young man, you have a self-contained unit carrying its own fuel. Keep at it!!” That was all Ford needed to motivate him to press on and perfect his engine.
Maurice "Mo" Cheeks has enjoyed a long and successful career as a player and coach in the National Basketball Association. But in my opinion, his greatest moment in basketball had nothing to do with the action on the court. On this day in 2003, 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert began singing the national anthem in front of the Portland Trail Blazers' home crowd -- as well as a national TV audience. Shortly into the song, she jumbled some words, and then she froze. Panicking, she held the microphone to her forehead, as if searching her brain for the right words. But just as she was about to give up (and look for the proverbial hole to crawl in), "Mo" Cheeks stepped to her side and began singing the song with her, helping her hold the microphone in place. Urging the crowd to join in, he stayed with her the whole way, his off-key voice shadowing hers in sweet duet. It sounded awful, but it was beautiful. And you could see (and hear) Natalie's confidence grow stronger with every line. "He totally saved me," Natalie told an interviewer. "I was walking off afterward, and he said, ‘Don't worry, kid -- everyone has a bad game once in a while.'
Dear Ones, the gift of being an encourager is a spiritual gift from God: the gift of exhortation. I am quite certain that this gift is within our family. Others of us are learning how to be better encouragers and how to receive the gift, too. It's a powerfully beautiful exchange of a specific love language, as well as the model of spoken blessing from The Bible. We humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and He has promised to lift us up (James 4:10). Our God encourages us! How blessed we are to have our own personal cheering squad - Father, Mother, sisters and brothers and into the extended family! Today I say, thank You, Dear Lord for giving us one another; this beautiful family who knows the value of walking in Your light and sharing Your light with others.
