Yesterday I received a handwritten note in the mail from a woman I respect and admire. She took the time to send an incredibly thoughtful word of encouragement and affirmation. The letter took less than a minute for me to read, but her words changed the course of my day. It’s impossible to convey how much the gesture meant to me. As I reread the note for the umpteenth time, I realized how much we all need encouragement. Life is hard. The enemy is ruthless. And the truth is, sometimes day-to-day living kicks the tar out of us. Encouragement is one of the greatest gifts we can give to someone. It costs us nothing and is of great value to the one who receives it.
Paul was no stranger to discouraging circumstances. (2 Corinthians 11:25) More than most, Paul possessed a profound understanding of how much people need encouragement. He addressed this on more than one occasion:
- “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, emphasis mine)
- “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (1 Thessalonians 5:14)
- “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)
I recently read that the average person speaks about twenty-five thousand words a day. I don’t know if this is true, but I cringed at the thought. It made me wonder how many of the words I speak on any given day are helpful and how many are nothing more than hot air. Perhaps the sheer number and intent of our words shed light on why they so often fall on deaf ears. Whether we realize it or not, we are known for the kind of words we speak.
I want my words to encourage people. I don’t want to talk just for the sake of talking. I want my words to bless, affirm, and edify. What kind of words do you want to speak?
What if we consistently spoke words of encouragement to those in our sphere of influence? How many people could we bless with a kind word? How might our words help people develop their God-given potential?
Keep in mind an encouraging word is far different from flattery. Flattery isn’t sincere, and it’s never helpful. Flattery will cause a wise woman’s bologna detector to go off. An encouraging word is genuine and true and brings attention to something that is good. Wouldn’t it be fun to live each day with a goal of bringing attention to things that are good? Encouragement also has incredible potential to plant seeds of possibility.
Author and speaker, John Maxwell, says, “A word of encouragement from a teacher to a child can change a life. A word of encouragement from a spouse can save a marriage. A word of encouragement from a leader can inspire a person to reach her potential.”
Encouragement costs us nothing to give and is of great value to those who receive. Who needs your encouragement today? We’ve got some words to spend. Let’s make them count.
