Encouragement

By John McNeal  

Have you ever been at work and discouraged at your performance, or just wished you could go back home and go back to bed? What about having a very long day at school only to find that your last class piled as much homework on you as the previous three combined? Then when you walk out to the car, you find that you have a flat tire.

The first thing that pops into your mind is “When it rains, it pours.”  Then the bottom drops out of the sky in a horrendous downpour of rain. God never promised that life would be a bed of roses. But he did say that he would be there with us.

During these situations, have you ever had a friend try to cheer you up? For the most part they mean well, but there are times their efforts seem to compound the issues rather than resolve them. They would spout all kinds of trivial little sayings, and then bring out the final straw: “At least you’re on top of the dirt, instead of underneath it.”

In this day and time, employers seldom use encouragement to improve and promote a higher productivity within the company. Even within a church setting, most people fail to encourage each other to be better Christians. Sunday school teachers, ushers, and janitors, non-paid staff and paid staff are dying to hear someone say “Good Job,” “Thank you for serving,” “Kudos,” or even “You’re the man.” Many people take those individuals for granted, when they should be giving them a standing ovation.

In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, the Bible speaks about encouraging one another about the coming of the Lord and to be ready. Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” A few chapters over, in Hebrews 10:22 (NIV), the writer encourages us to meet together in order to “draw near to God with a sincere heart.” The Bible is full of ways to encourage one another, so take so time out of your busy day and seek them out.

If someone you know is having a bad day, provide them with some real encouragement with a scripture verse. Maybe they are having a bad day because of their situation and not because they “got up on the wrong sit of the bed.” Encouraging people can breathe life into a new perspective.  Oh, and remember, if you roll around in a bed of roses…just be sure you’re not on a waterbed or you will have a bad day.

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