What encourages you?
A “Way to go!“?
A listening ear?
Someone caring enough to tell you a hard truth you may have been blind to?
A note letting you know someone (other than your mom) cares you’re alive?
In a few weeks I’m supposed to preach with my husband on the topic of encouragement.
Please help me out and share your thoughts and experiences on the topic! What it is, what it isn’t and how it impacts you. Examples??
Maybe you’re encouraged when you see an inspiring story. Last week I shared about my experience with Random Acts of Kindness and then this week I saw this (thanks to Austin Dannhaus!). It so moved and inspired me that I wanted to share it with you. Have a great weekend filled with joy and hope. (Be sure to watch to the very end!)
The film is great. Thank you for sharing that with us Laura. I am encouraged when I see the simple things that make a big impact. I love the Lord’s surprises and how he can use the simplest testimony to move your heart. Encouragement for me is often when someone recognizes something in us and calls it out. A truth of who we were created to be and how we are living it out. That is why it makes us feel good, it is recognizing a truth about us and speaking it out and we can connect to that.
I love that – the recognition of and calling out of truth. Makes me think of the blessings in the Bible too…envisioning a future.
Laura what encourages most is when I encourage someone else. I love to hear from others that I have given a timely word that changed their day or even their life. Also, my love language is words of affirmation so I love to hear that I’m doing a good job, or that I’m a good wife or mother or friend. I love to be encouraged as well as to give encouragement.
Ahhh! Funny you should mention your love language! I was thinking about how that might affect our ability to “hear” encouragement! Thanks!
My first thoughts was that if someone were to actually remember what I said to them a week or so ago about a concern I have and follow up even on asking how things were going I would feel less alone in my battle. Also, someone who DOESN’T make a ‘connection’ with what you’re saying and suddenly the conversation is all about ‘them’ is encouraging. Don’t get me wrong, making a connection is fine UNLESS the focus changes completely or appears to dismiss what the first person is going through. I too, like Maren feel encouraged by encouraging others, but it saddens me when others seem to pay such little REAL attention to someone who is walking through a valley.
I think you meant “discouraging” in your second sentence and I so agree with both things you’re saying. Thanks so much for the reminder that sometimes really listening deeply, hearing, and entering into someone else’s pain is the most encouraging thing we can do.
That video brought tears to my eyes! So incredible sweet. Thanks for sharing that, Laura. And I loved reading all of the responses about encouragement. I relate to them all!
When I’m struggling, I find it most encouraging when I’m reminded of the tools that God has already given me to work through things. A year ago, I gave birth naturally and I found one little phrase of encouragement from my doula all I needed to get through it and it’s also something that that has stuck with me since. When I was in the worst of the contractions, she would say (almost in a whisper) “You are so strong”. That was it. That was all it took for me to get through the pain. I didn’t have to go searching. What I needed was already there because my strength IS God. What I didn’t want to hear was false promises like ‘You’re almost done’ or ‘You can do it’ because I know I would have thought ‘How do you know? Can you really promise that?’ When she would say those 4 simple words, it also reminded me to TRUST. To trust that God has a plan and to trust His process. My only job was to surrender to God’s plan and breathe. Since that day, I’ve had my share of low points and I try to remind myself to just Trust, Surrender and Breathe. God never promised life will be easy but he does promise that he will be with us through it all – pain included – and he will provide.
I agree Allison! Encouragement seems to be about being reminded who we are (beloved, God-strengthened, gifted, seen) and whose we are (His).