Called to Encourage-A Cheerleader
in Christ
And may God, the source of patience
and encouragement, enable you to have the same point of view among
yourselves by following the example of Christ Jesus. Romans 15:5 GNV
A word of encouragement can be such
a blessing when we are going through a difficult experience. This is
especially true when there is no one to support you or serve as your
advocate. Someone said: "Encouragement is like oxygen to the
human spirit. Don't forget you're carrying someone else's air.
Encourage them; help them breathe." We are usually so focused on
our own air line, we don't think about someone else's. Yet the Bible
admonishes us to be encouragers; if we follow Christ's example we
won't step on someone else's air line.
So how can we be encouragers or
cheerleaders in Christ?
• Acknowledge the hard work people
have done, praise them.
• Offer your support when someone
needs a helping hand or a boost, don't make them beg for help or
leave them to struggle on their own.
• Honor people for their work-it
could be a pat on the back, a party, a certificate or a public
declaration of thanks.
• Don't criticize them if the job
isn't perfect, focus on what was done right and help them in the
future with things that can be done better.
• Pray for those who have
difficult tasks to do; ask God to give them the wisdom and help they
need.
• Give someone a smile, high five
or applause.
In the word encourage is the word
'courage'. Think of the power Christ has given you to build up
someone's courage and empower them to do great things. Ask yourself
how can I give hope, confidence, help or support to someone? Am I
acting in a way that would discourage or raise needless obstacles to
a project or person working on making a positive change? Am I
offering realistic encouragement? The benefits of encouragement go
far beyond helping the person to whom the encouragement is directed.
It makes you feel good and it can make a difference in the quality of
life for those impacted by the actions of the person you are
encouraging. It will also likely give you a group of cheerleaders to
support you.
Praise God he has given us
opportunities to complete his good and perfect work in us. Praise Him
for those He has sent to encourage us and seek to know those
opportunities when we can be encouragers or cheerleaders in Christ.
Prayer: Thank you Father for our
community of faith who support and encourage us. Make us sensitive to
the needs of those around us and guide us to be encouragers in your
name.
Pat Deck
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