I love to be encouraged. I can’t imagine that I’m alone in that. I have never heard of anyone who asked for their loved ones to not encourage them, or who ran with ears covered and voices screaming when someone spoke to them a good word. Amidst the challenges and difficulties of life, we all appreciate little boosts, and that’s exactly what encouragement does – it makes us stand a little taller, walk a little straighter, and carry ourselves with more confidence that we otherwise would have.
While it may be easy to articulate the benefits of encouragement, I find that many people struggle with being an encourager. As with many things, we appreciate when it is done for us, but we neglect to intentionally provide the same to others. With that in mind, I hope to write a series of posts over the next few weeks tackling this important subject. After all, if we all know how good encouragement is for our souls, shouldn’t we want to provide the same to the weary souls around us?
Before we jump into the practical suggestions, however, I think it is worthwhile to take some time and set a foundation regarding the importance of this practice. In other words, before we tackle the “how;” let’s make sure we understand the “why.” For Christians – the answer is short and simple; we should encourage others (especially other believers) because that is what God has called us to do (See Hebrews 3:13). This alone should be sufficient to spur our obedience. Even if we struggle with how to encourage effectively, even if we see little results from our efforts, we should be people who encourage because that is who God desires us to be. And when we do what God says, God receives honor and praise. His goodness is put on display when we are ambassadors of His grace through words and actions that encourage.
Perhaps you accept that contention, but don’t feel any sense of urgency about making it a priority. You plan to encourage others when the opportunity arises, but do not see any reason for planning and committing to regularly look for those chances rather than waiting for them to come to you. If that is the case, I hope that you might reconsider. The Bible indicates that encouraging others is not something we should put off until another time. In fact, as the writer of Hebrews puts it, we should exhort [or encourage] one another “while it is still called today” (3:13) which means we need do it now, without hesitation or delay. Why? Because encouragement is only needed while we are on this Earth; in eternity, the need for it will be obliterated.
If you are wondering why I would say that, let’s reflect on what encouragement is. As you likely know, when we “encourage” someone, the goal is that we are helping to put within them “courage” that they otherwise might not have had. Courage is the ability to face our earthly fears and to walk in obedience regardless of the consequences. It is bravely being faithful to the cause of Christ. When we encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are urging them forward to more consistently apply God’s Word in their thoughts, words, and deeds. When we encourage those who are not Christians, we are exhorting them to live in a way that is consistent with God’s standards, and hope that in the process they may be drawn to Him. In either of these cases, the need for encouragement ends when they reach eternity. For the Christian, they will be wholly righteous, completely obedient as they are clothed in Christ’s perfection. For the non-Christian, our time to point them towards God’s beauty will have past as they will be separated from His presence. Encouragement must happen today, because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring – for us, or for the person to whom we seek to give courage. Therefore, there must be a sense of urgency, and we must make it a priority; that is the option that Scripture gives us.
Therefore, as we begin this series, my prayer is that we will not wait until it is completed to get about the business of giving others courage. My hope is that the next few weeks will provide some new considerations to the work of encouragement that we each are already doing and that we would start that work now, without hesitation or delay. None of us know what tomorrow holds, but if we still walk this Earth and Christ has yet to return, we know that encouragement will be needed. And if we are God’s children, we should be busy doing the work of providing it.
