Romans–Passionate Christian Theology
There are many forms of encouragement. Encouragement with a pure motive to lay aside your own interests to uplift someone, cheering them on, making that person God’s hero in the journey while standing beside them is helpful. Telling someone how they could have done better what they just accomplished is not helpful, at least not at that moment. Mm, maybe never.
I had a family member while I was growing up who was the queen of “left-handed” compliments. These comments are the opposite of encouragements. I don’t know if you have ever heard that term before so I will explain. “Well, look at you, I would never wear my hair like that, but you do!” “I love that you made those loud kids actually pull off a program.”
These comments are usually followed by “helpful” questions that are not really wanting an answer but to prove a point…”Are you going to always do it that way?”…”Do you really think God would want that color in the children’s classrooms?” Okay, now I’m giggling at some of the ridulous things we say to each other. These are not even trying to be encouraging. They are self edifying to the person who thinks they may lose power over you because you did well. Don’t be that person to someone else! That’s not encouragement, that’s just being bossy and arrogant.
“if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy…” Romans 12, The Message
The world is starving for pure, Godly encouragement. Let us THINK before we speak. Ask ourselves, Is what I’m about to say to this person going to be said in a Spirit of love? Are my words going to be Truthful, (not fake flowery compliments but positive truth in how they do things); Helpful (words that let them see what they did right and want to do more); Inspiring (words that express how you see Jesus in who they are and how they behave); Necessary (sometimes no words are needed, just a smile and a hug are encouragement enough and give heaps of acceptance where needed most); and finally are the words that will fall from our of mouth Kind; (sweet as honey, like dessert that they didn’t expect that restores another soul of their worth to the Kingdom)? Yes, all have sinned and fall short when it comes to pure encouragement for another’s soul. THINK before we speak.
Want to be encouraged? Be an encourager! Don’t wait. Do it now! Begin with your spouse as they go out the door. Do it for your kids! Do it for your grandkids! Now go ye into the world and encourage!
Dear Heavenly Father, Some of us are more gifted to encourage than others. Teach us all to be more loving and kind, following your Holy Spirit’s leading for timing. We know You will give us the right words, in the right Spirit at the right time if we ask. Thank you for the opportunitiy to encourage. It is a lost art in this world due to selfishness. Help us all to remember it is not about us. It is about You in us, being your mouth, hands and feet to lift someone else up in this journey. Thank you, Lord for teaching us. Now, help us do it! In Jesus Name and by Your power in us, Amen.
Dear Heavenly Father, We repent of those times when we thought reading the title of the lesson at hand was enough. Forgive us of our babblings instead of learning before teaching a classroom of students no matter what the age. We pray that You would be in our daily study, that You would speak to our hearts before we speak to the students You have already prepared to listen. Oh Lord, what a responsibility it is to teach. We do not take this lightly, whether in the classroom of life or in the classrooms of Your church! Help us, Lord…to be one who learns…continuously…until You call us home to be with You.
