Encouragement

Everyone needs it. Some provide it. Rarely is it overused. I am talking about encouragement.

“Good job”, “Way to go”, “I’m proud of you”, and “You are good at that” are examples of encouragement one might use to make someone else feel good about themselves. After all, that is what encouragement is about.

Growing up, I was one who needed encouragement. I had areas that I wanted to be better at, but I wasn’t. Other areas I did do pretty well in. However, there was something about life that caused me to need encouragement. From this, I began to feel like I was probably the only one who needed the encouragement because most others seemed OK.

Then, I grew up. Still with the cloud of discouragement around me, though it was lifting a bit, I had a hard time encouraging others. I was a young adult and would see someone do a good job at something and it was like pulling my own teeth to get me to say “good job” to them. It felt forced and fake, even though deep down inside I was proud of them. I wanted to have someone say those kinds of things to me, but it wasn’t coming. However, I still felt the urge to say something to others.

I then met my wife, and she was a very positive and uplifting person. She was such an encouragement to me, both verbally and by example. She would pump me up and let my strengths be known. I don’t know what life would have ended up like if it hadn’t been for her. The only downside was, I still felt fake and forced to say something nice to others, but it wasn’t as much as it used to be.

Then, God put me on a path that had some definite out-of-my-element phases to it – ministry. For most, ministry probably seems like a Sunday and Wednesday job, keeping in mind those who call or come by to visit. However, I quickly realized the pains that people go through or are involved in. These pains happen at any given time to any given person. These pains will range from frustrations to interruptions to loss. No matter how painful life is, I quickly found out that people need encouragement.

People need to know that things are going to be OK in the end, even if, in the storm of stress, it doesn’t seem like that is ever going to be the case. They need to have regular “pick-me-ups” so when the storm does come, maybe they’ll remember those words of encouragement.

Even though I was not very comfortable with telling people they did a good job at something, when I myself was waiting for the “good job” but not receiving any encouragement, the job seemed to be tugging at me to do more for others along the framework of encouragement.

One thing I began to realize, very quickly, was no matter if you were the star of a sports program, Valedictorian of your class, or most popular. Somewhere, sometime, would be a time or times when you would need some encouragement.

That is when I began to think about what I could do to encourage others. I began to write a blog that is geared toward encouragement (www.jarrodspencer.info) and send out e-mails of encouragement. A few years ago, I thought about an idea to reach the “non-e-mailers” where I send free texts messages to over one-hundred forty different people, which is focused on encouragement.

I am always looking for new ways to encourage people, individually and as a group. Traditional ways still work well. I have yet to witness someone giving too much encouragement or refusing to accept it. If you have a difficult time giving it out, may you learn to give it out because you know how beneficial it is to others.

Who are you going to encourage next?