the gift of encouragement

Are you an encourager? Do people always seem to come to you because you possess an ability – a spiritual gift - to encourage and uplift their spirits? When friends are troubled, you encourage them with a visit. When family faces illness, you selflessly encourage them with care. When strangers come to your door, you encourage them with the welcoming love of Jesus.


But –
What happens when you, the encourager, needs to be encouraged?


In the course of our days, we can get so busy caring for everyone else –
We forget to pause and care for ourselves


Yesterday was a challenging day for me –
Certainly was not as bad as the difficulties that some face,
Yet it was a troubling to me

It was one of those days where everything came to a breaking point.
I found myself utterly exhausted and it culminated in a stream of tears.


Now, I have had countless interactions with friends, family and acquaintances – listening, encouraging dreams, speaking love, combating fears, sharing God’s Word, giving hugs (still an area of opportunity for me), and strengthening spirits.


Yet, I found myself needing some encouragement yesterday. No doubt my feelings about the day were compounded by a weakened immune system – my first time getting sick in three years.


I just needed ‘a minute'. I needed to go back and read some of the things I wrote. I had to listen to songs about the Lord – and sing them too. I had to encourage myself. But – the real encouragement came last night


God sent a friend – to come visit me

She is one of the greatest friends that anyone could ask for:
She listened, really listened, and responded -
She empathized, but refused to let me wallow in self pity -
She shared the Word of God, what she had studied and what He had been speaking to her heart
It was a word in due season for me!


She encouraged me – just like I had encouraged her many times


It is amazing!
This friendship was arranged by God. And He never allows us to be in the same place at the same time – emotionally or spiritually. When she needs a boost of faith, I am soaring high. When I hit rock bottom, she is at the mountaintop.


God is so faithful!


Today, it is my prayer that God will bless you with just such a friend – That you will open the door to receive the gift of encouragement that He sends your way. If He has already done so, that you will cherish that friendship –

Recognize relationships like that for the true gift that they are.


Do not rob your friends of the gift of being the encourager.
Do not rob yourself of the prize of being encouraged.


When writing to the church in Rome in Hebrews 1:11-12 NLT, Paul says, ‘For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.’ The Message version of those same verses ends by saying, ‘You have as much to give me as I do to you.’


‘It is more blessed to give than it is to receive’ (Acts 20:35)
Yet, you can give all the time and still be the most selfish person around.
If you will not receive from others, you rob them of the blessedness of giving.


God’s Word is true –
‘My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 4:19) He supplies all your need – spiritual, emotional, physical, financial, etc. And He often addresses that need through one sincere friend


So, to all the encouragers out there, I say –
Accept the gift of encouragement and,

Be Encouraged!