Encouragement August 24, 2007
Posted by Han in : Human Relationship , trackbackFlatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. - William Arthur Ward
We are living in a very troubled and hurting society. Many people are wounded deeply in our surrounding. To them, life is meaningless and without purpose. They are troubled, restless, angry, desperate, empty and worried. Many wanted to give-up and some of them don’t want to live anymore. However you can help to restore troubled people to peaceful, meaningful and purposeful lives by simply by becoming an encourager.
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25
Our society needs lots of such people - people who are not selfish, care for others, willing to help or simply offer up some words of encouragement. Encouragement is the key to caring. Do not underestimate the power of encouragement. Look at Proverbs 12:25, an anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.
How then can you be an encourager? You must first recognize the power of a well-timed word. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit, Proverbs 18:21. Even before you wanted to say anything, I would like you to examine your own words. Are you careless with your words? Do you speak without thinking? Are you a negative person? Without examining yourself, it is hard to be an encourager.
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. Matthew 12:36
An encourager is gentle and sensitive with words. The words that were used are pleasant and sweet. It brings healing to the bones. There are different kinds of words. “Shallow word” wouldn’t help much, “death word” crushes the heart and “life word” comforts the soul. An encourager knows when to speak. Timing is critical; sometimes what meant to be good spoken at a wrong time bring discouragement! At times remaining silent is the best encouragement you can give.
Sometimes encouragement depends less on which words you use than on the motivation behind them. Words that encourage are inspired by love and directed towards fear. Encouragement is very much depends on the loving motivation in the encourager as well as wisdom to discern the needs of the others accurately. When a truly loving person unwisely offers superficial advice to someone who is hurting, some level of encouragement may occur. True encouragement occurs when words are spoken from a heart of love to another’s recognized fear.
An encourager needs to know his purpose is to minister. His responsibility is to tune in to the possible impact of every word in every given situation and to select only those that reflect sensitivity to the needs of others. Sometimes he may not be appreciated but it’s alright, he consistently maintaining his goal of building up someone. This is truly an act of love. Therefore he must be strong enough to remain committed to minister to others even our desires go badly unmet.
Be an encourager is a great challenge. It moves you out of your comfort zone. It motivates you to care for the lost and suffering. There are a lot of anxious hearts around. If you see their needs and encourage them, it will also give them an opportunity to know Christ who is the answer of our lives.
Do you want to take up this challenge?
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