As we continue our exploration of spiritual practices together, our focus for the month of May is encouragement.
When you hear the word encouragement, what comes to mind? Often we equate encouragement with compliments such as “I like your outfit” or “You did a good job.” However, the spiritual practice of encouragement moves beyond the surface, beyond the realm of accomplishment or comparison and speaks to others at the heart level. When we encourage others we seek to inspire them “with God’s own hope, confidence, and delight in their belovedness,” reminding them that they are indeed precious in God’s sight and relieving them of the need to compete with or compare themselves to others.1 For each one of us is beloved by God, created with intrinsic value and worth. And we each have a deep-seated need for encouragement, a need to hear “that we are wanted and valued- that in God’s eyes we are beautifully and wonderfully made” and that our Creator truly delights in us.2 Yet we live in a world which teaches us to tear down, dehumanize, and destroy. If we truly desire to pattern our lives after Jesus, then we must seek to be encouragers, looking to build up, inspire, and speak life rather than participate in the unending cycle of destruction we see around every corner.
By encouraging others we bear witness to God’s goodness, his love, and his creative work in the lives of others. Encouragement is another way we love others and show compassion for them. And through encouragement we also build up the body of Christ. We see this throughout the New Testament- letters written to encourage the churches, groups of believers encouraging the apostles through their prayers and care for them, and believers supporting, encouraging, and caring for one another. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Paul exhorts the believers to “encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Encouragement is essential to our ability to endure and persevere in our faith on both the brightest and darkest of days. Knowing others value us and truly see us lifts us up and often gives us the strength to keep going.
This month we are going to seek to be formed and transformed by practicing encouragement.
The Practice: Encourage One Another
What might a life of encouragement look like lived out? We are going to practice one way this month.
Each week of this month, choose a day to encourage as many people as possible. Begin with prayer. Think about the people you will encounter throughout the day. Ask God to give you eyes to see others as he sees them, and ask God to show you who needs encouragement that day. Pray for the person or people God brings to your mind. If it is appropriate, speak the words of encouragement to this person through a note, a text or even in person.
At the end of the day, take a few moments to reflect on your experience. What was it like to be an encourager and step into what God was doing in the lives of others throughout the day?
May our hearts overflow with love for others and may our mouths speak life as we seek to be encouragers this month.
