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(I corrected several path problems on August 29, August 30, and September 1, including these selections: Which  Version?, Christmas, Images, Body of Christ Discovered, Hymn Midis, KJV Bible, and Spiritual Warfare.  Sorry for any problems; please let know if you find others. - Gary)

An Encouraging Word

Myrtle Clinebell was my fifth-grade teacher. It was in her class that I went from being a run-of the-mill student to near the top of the class. She helped me believe in myself, by letting me know she believed in me. She took me to her home, not once, but many times, so she could take me an appointment with an optometrist, or a meeting, or a competition. All through my junior high and high school days she encouraged and supported me in every way she possibly could. Other teachers also helped me greatly over the years, but Miz Clinbebell is the one I especially remember.

Some people have a special gift as encouragers. Like Barnabus, they are cheerleaders for Christ, always urging us on. When things look dark, they always find a ray of light somewhere. Paul and his shipmates were tossed about in a storm for days, and ready to give up hope. Comforted by an angel in a vision, he then offered the others the assurance that all of them would survive.

Encouragement doesn't mean flattery or false hope. Ancient Israel was full of prophets who offered words of encouragement in times of crisis, but they were all liars. Those like Isaiah and Jeremiah who predicted doom were ridiculed or ignored. In the same way, none of us should hold out hope to someone just to make them feel better, without any assurance from the Lord that hope exists. That kind of counsel is like throwing a rope to a drowning man - our end and all.

With the gift of encouragement comes a degree of discernment. It's not always easy to tell when someone needs to be lifted good, since many of us are accomplished actors. I am a past master at hiding my emotions. We must only be able to recognize signs of problems, but we must be willing to listen. Trying to impress someone else with our grasp of his or her problems, then proceeding to discuss our own, isn't very helpful or loving. To encourage someone, we must first show we truly are interested in them as human beings, not just as test cases.

What kinds of things can we say to build someone up? First of all, we must see them as Christ sees them, as being of infinite worth. If we then try to build them up, we can do it genuinely, not to just to make them feel better. Next, we need to look at their problems from God's perspective; if they belong to Christ, then he is in control, no matter how black things look. Finally, we must let them know that, not only do we and others care what happens to them, but God does, too, only infinitely more so.

Encourage is the opposite of discourage. If what we do or say tears someone down instead of building them up, then we need to examine our motives. When someone is discouraged, they are also depressed, down on themselves, and often mad at both God and the world. Although in some cases a confrontational attitude may just what we need to adopt, usually that only worsens a problem. Telling someone who is depressed or discouraged to just "snap out of it" works about as well as spitting into the wind.

As parents, we can and should encourage our children in their schoolwork, outside activities, and relationships, without driving them to distraction. As members of our congregation, we can encourage our pastor by praying for him, letting him know what a great job he's doing, and by pitching in ourselves to help with the work of ministry. As friends, we can look for ways to show concern (an unexpected gift or card, an invitation to dinner), and "stick closer than a brother" (or sister) in the bad times.

We don't have a special spiritual gift of encouragement to build others up. If we're employers, we can let our employees know how very much we value them as people, especially when things are tough for them outside the office. If we're employees, we can let our bosses know how much we appreciate them, and compliment our fellow workers at any opportunity. In the church, we can make a special effort to encourage those who don't often get much recognition, like the ushers or kitchen workers.

Spiritual gifts, Paul said, are given to edify, or build up the body of Christ, not to bring glory to any of us. Let's help others win a game now and again, and rejoice with them in their victory. We're all parts of the same body; when we reach out to help any of them, we're also helping ourselves.

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