Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Help Wanted! One Encourager...

Everyone needs an encourager in their life.  Someone who cheers them on in good times, but is also saying "hang in there" on the not so good days.  An encourager does not look at a person seeing all the faults in that individual, but rather looks at the person and sees what they could be.  It's amazing how positive words can change actions and personalities. 

A philosophy of mine is don't ever save anything for a special occasion.  Being alive is the special occasion.  I'm always looking for an excuse to throw a party, to break out the china, or to dance around a room.  Isn't it funny how some people save stuff or actions their whole life waiting on the right moment.  I think this applies to words too.  People often only say important things to someone on special occasions.  Why is that?  Wouldn't it be more fun to tell the people we love how we feel about them everyday? 

This week I have had many friends and family encourage me.  The encouragement has been through phone calls, texts messages, Facebook messages, and an awesome husband who knows I like hugs.  I have not felt well in weeks, but then I got the shingles which just knock me down.  I've learned that shingles are extremely painful.  Since this is one of Ryan's busiest weeks of the year due to 180 Weekend, I have to take care of Brody by myself.  Sunday Ryan was gone in the morning from 8:30 to 8:00 that night, and I was in horrible pain.  By late that afternoon, I had reach a huge low in life.  For those who know me, that's not my normal personality.  I love living life, but sometimes we all go through a hard time.  Lots of tears were shed that day so thank you to the man who invented tissues.  This is where all of my precious encouragers came to my rescue.  I needed to hear that I was going to get through that day.  It only took my loved ones a minute of their time to lift my spirits.  I needed to be reminded that people cared about me and my family.  It's impossible to feel lonely when people are encouraging you.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to give me a few words to help me push on through the pain.  It really meant a lot to me.  To my mom and brother who call to check on me often, I wished I had more words than thank you to tell you how much you have touch my heart. 

As great as getting encouragement is, it is equally important to give it to others.  As my mom used to tell me, "If you want a friend, you've got to be a friend."  We all have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those around us.  I imagine there was someone in the world with a brillant idea who did not have the confidence to share it because he was never told "hey, you're doing a good job."   Everyone we know needs to hear something good from us.  We just need to make the time to do it.

So pick some people to be in your life who will encourage you on your life journey and make sure to encourage them back along the way. 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You have the gift of encouragement from God. He gave it to you. You lift up people on a daily basis. Because this sickness attacked you, you have a testimony that the entire world has to hear…God is always faithful and you ALWAYS bounce back!
That’s my girl!

Unknown said...
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