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Everyone needs encouragement. Are we following Christ's example in giving this precious gift?
Geese are a wondrous sight to behold as they fly overhead in their well-known V-formation. Traveling vast, transcontinental distances, they exhibit some remarkable qualities.
For one, they rotate leadership within their flock while in flight. Also, they choose leaders who can stand turbulence while taking the lead position. And furthermore, the whole time one bird is in the lead, all the others are honking affirmation.
Sometimes, you can hear geese approaching from miles away. Even when you can barely see them, you know what's coming. They are encouraging the lead bird to move beyond the present duress of breaking the wind draft for others and to go the distance.
A simple question considering this example from nature: Are we as followers of Jesus Christ doing as well at encouragement? Contemplate for a moment which of the following best describes you personally.
I find encouraging others:
1) Natural, 2) Fairly easy, 3) Difficult, 4) Someone else's job, 5) Simply not on my mind.
Now, why did I ask you to compare yourself to a bunch of feathered fowl in this regard? Because encouraging others is vital in our responding to the call of Jesus Christ of "Follow Me."
Consider for a moment the example of Jesus encouraging others at the end of His ministry and human life. The night before His death, He told His disciples: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
He warned them that turbulence was coming but encouraged them not to permanently scatter. They could go the distance as He would if they truly believed. Indeed, we can too, so "be of good cheer!" In the King James Version of the Bible, this phrase is used four times in the Gospels and three times in the book of Acts to empower people to go the distance in their calling.
The original Greek word for cheer, tharseo, literally means courage or confidence. Encouragement is fundamentally the act of instilling courage in another person. Simply put, it's being God's agent in God's time to lift up God's children.
Isaiah 40:1 proclaims: "'Comfort, yes, comfort My people!' says your God. 'Speak comfort to Jerusalem . . .'" The same chapter later declares in words familiar to many a reader of the Scriptures: "He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength . . . Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:29-31).
How does this work? Is this performed only by miraculous intervention from on high, or is this also accomplished by individuals with Christ residing in them motivating others?
It is foundational to embrace the spiritual reality and personal responsibility that if Jesus Christ is "head over all things to the church, which is His body" (Ephesians 1:22-23), then we are to be His feet to do His walking, His arms to do His reaching, and His tongue to remind others to "be of good cheer!"
There is certainly a target-rich environment all around us in considering how to instill courage and the peace of God within another human being. Encouragement is as essential as water, food or air.
No one can live long without hope or encouragement. Yet it's been said that while 3 billion people go to bed hungry every night, 4 billion people go to bed starving for just one word of encouragement.
Each of us needs encouragement. It is oxygen to the soul. Life's chapters and lonely moments demand it from our first baby steps into a parent's open arms to later steps in life-to our first bike ride down a steep driveway; to becoming teens; to our first encounter with challenges on the job or in our marriages; to a health crisis; to becoming senior citizens in the so-called golden years of life; to, as may be you this very moment, stepping out in faith to embrace biblically based Christianity when no one else seems to support you.
We need to grow in encouraging others even when it does not come naturally. And in fact the type of encouragement we should be giving does not come naturally. The encouragement exuded by our example Jesus Christ comes from elsewhere. It is rooted in God and understanding what He has done for us.
The apostle Paul opens one of his letters this way: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
The original Greek word for "comfort" in this passage is paraklesis, which literally means "a calling to one's side." A form of this word is used in describing the Holy Spirit in John 14-16 (variously translated as Comforter, Helper or Advocate). Thus, we can come to appreciate that comforting or encouraging someone is God's Holy Spirit in action in you, because you have come to appreciate what God has done for you and now you pass it on.
How then do we encourage those in need? After all, there are so many. Let's appreciate the lesson, as found in the Gospels, that Jesus dealt with those who were specifically in His path or came to Him. While human, He couldn't possibly deal with everyone, even as the Son of God, and neither can we. We need to realistically engage those who are in our "life's path" or, in modern parlance, our sphere of influence.
Keep in mind that godly encouragement is sincere and motivated by the love of Christ with no thought of return. This column is not promoting a merit star chart on your wall of how many people you encouraged this week or undue flattery that's basically "dead on arrival."
A pivotal element of encouragement is honesty. Proverbs 27:6 says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." Sometimes while you have your arm around a family member's or friend's shoulder, you have to "tell it like it is." Why? So that even while being comforted, that person can be encouraged to better direct his or her life's energies to beneficial results.
Here are a few simple steps toward encouraging those you love and those who will yet cross your life's path.
1. Consider the choice and power of your words. They can penetrate deeper than any x-ray machine for good or ill.
If ever a man needed encouragement, it was the patriarch Job. Consider the words of Job's friends, effectively accusing him, "You're a sinner!" Contemplate the words of Job's wife: "Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9).
Compare these with Jesus' words to the woman caught in adultery: "Go and sin no more" (John 8:11). He confirmed she had broken God's law, but at the same time He opened a door to a new life. Proverbs 25:11 points out, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." The right words of encouragement are precious.
Additionally, at times it's not what you say but what you don't say that's just as important. Giving your undivided attention to someone who is down-and-out is a valuable gift of encouragement. It promotes self-worth and dignity to the recipient.
Sometimes the less said, the better. Sometimes there are no words that will do, and the only thing is to hug people and let them know you are there, praying for them, and that you will not abandon your relationship with them-that you will be there for them on the rest of their journey (and we'll see more about this in a moment).
2. Send a message. Consider dropping a handwritten note (special!) or an e-mail to someone. Have you ever received a letter or just a little note from someone that made your day or, better still, changed your life's direction?
It may seem small or trivial, but a note gets the ball rolling and gets something done rather than wishful thinking that ends in "woulda, coulda, shoulda."
So often we think we'll have the time to visit, but life intervenes. Letters travel where you can't go, and this gives your loving encouragement an extension cord. Also, receiving a note can be less obtrusive, greeting and meeting recipients on their terms. A note will be remembered and possibly reviewed often. Just think how many of the epistles of Paul were effectively letters of encouragement.
3. Be there for people. Never underestimate being present in someone's life-be it a family member, neighbor, coworker or fellow church member. Just showing up speaks volumes.
In one of the most amazing stories in the Gospels, found in Matthew 14:22-23, we find the disciples in storm-tossed waters in the dark of night and Christ making His presence known by walking on the sea toward them, saying: "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid" (Matthew 14:27). His presence and encouragement motivated Peter to get out of the boat and walk on water at least briefly.
In like manner, our very presence in turbulent moments and offering simple words of encouragement can motivate people to do things, go places and rise to occasions they might never contemplate on their own. Just like the geese mentioned earlier, our affirmation can sustain those who are struggling through the turbulence of life, helping those who feel helpless, hopeless and perhaps unloved.
You might be saying, "But all those wasted years and opportunities when I could have been there for someone rather than merely waiting on the receiving end of life." No, it's not too late! And your greatest opportunity may yet lie ahead. Never underestimate God and what God might do through you.
It's noteworthy that at the very end of His human life, Jesus, who had spoken many a time to others to "be of good cheer" was Himself encouraged by a thief on the cross next to His saying, "This Man has done nothing wrong . . . Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:41-42).
Can we even begin to imagine what those few words meant to our Savior, the Son of Man, in tremendous physical torment, as so many others standing there were taunting Him? Did it help Him go the distance as one "came up alongside" of Him? Think about it.
You and I have an incredible opportunity to emulate the greatest encourager of all time. He stands ready to mentor us to help us obey His call of "Follow Me."
It can be a little overwhelming at first to give encouragement rather than be on the receiving end, but we will have help. Consider the last words of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew: "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). No words more encouraging than that!
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