At the college I attended, in addition to completing required courses in your major—mine being English—students also submitted a portfolio of their best work, which after the approval of an academic Board of professors qualified them for graduation.
Tucked inside my portfolio, I still have an orange 3 x 5 card on which one of my professors wrote:
A beautiful body of work—I’m proud of you and feel lucky to be one of your readers. . . . I hope you continue writing and try to start publishing. You have talent, and heart, and wonderful wit; and equally important, you can produce graceful pages.
Me? Start publishing? Really??
At the time it sounded impossibly overwhelming, but his words gave me confidence and vision to press on and consider that “maybe I could be a published writer some day . . .”
His words gave me encouragement then, and still do today when I read them.
We all need encouragement from time to time. To encourage means “to inspire with courage.” It’s to spur on, to stimulate, or initiate hope.
The antonym is to discourage, or “deprive of courage or confidence; dishearten.”
Proverbs 25:11 tells us our words of discouragement or encouragement can make or break a person’s spirit—imparting death or life.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Encouraging words are words of blessing. We all need to be reminded of our potential, our goodness, and most of all the beautiful qualities we carry as image-bearers of God.
A word of encouragement, fitly spoken, can be exactly what’s needed to spur us on and give us the courage to live out the high and holy calling God has bestowed upon each of our lives.
Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken at the proper moment. (Proverbs 25:11 REV)
Here are a few thoughts about the value of encouragement:
Words of encouragement:
- are deeply connected to faith, hope, and love.
- can propel us into action.
- offer hope.
- help us feel loved.
- confirm our need for one another.
- cast a vision for the future.
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT)
It’s been said that encouraging words are oxygen to the soul.
An encouraging word is a word of blessing.
Lord, show me who I might encourage today, and give me the words to say. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
Do you have a story of encouragement? Please share in the comments below.
That was a great message, Cheryl! Encouraging others is something all of us can do, and it doesn’t require any special skills or ability. Plus it doesn’t cost us anything but a little time. I have lots of memories of how someone’s encouragement changed my life. I’ll share one.
In my first year at GE as chemical engineer, I made a significant mistake which cost the company a lot of money and set the project back. I was expecting a stiff reprimand. Instead, my boss came to me and said “OK, Rich, so you made an engineering error here. Well, you’re in good company because we’ve all been there before.” He went on to relate a big mistake he once made and how embarrassed he had been. Then he added “You seem like someone who will learn from this incident and you’ll become a better engineer because of it.” Just those simple words of encouragement turned the whole situation around, gave me a better perspective, and impacted my career in a very positive way.
Thanks for sharing–what a great story! The way your boss handled it definitely “inspired courage.”
You’ve been an encouragement to me many times, Cheryl – not just in writing but in the daily-ness of life. Sometimes we all need to be inspired with courage! Oxygen to the soul, indeed. Blessings to you . . .
Likewise, you encourage me, Sarah, and it’s great to share ideas. Your life is an inspiration and a blessing!