1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Hebrews 3:13
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Why do we find it so hard to encourage one another? We lash out in anger, frustration and impatience and tear each other down. I regret the times when my kids were younger and in my frustration I hurled words of discouragement at them. I regret the times that I have been less than kind to a cashier because I was impatient and in a hurry. I have found that in today’s society, we have gotten used to tearing each other down to build ourselves up. We judge each other, we belittle each other, we embarrass others for their differences, we make others feel small and we have started to think that this behavior is okay.
This behavior is NOT okay. God tells us to encourage one another and build each other up! I work with teenagers in my job and it is easy to get impatient when I see an “I don’t care” attitude. I have had to be careful that my own attitude is one of encouragement and not discouragement. I am not perfect and I am not always the role model I should be, but I try to make sure that the words I choose are building up our young people and not tearing them down.
My challenge to you: open your heart to the opportunities to build someone up. Look for ways in which you can encourage your family, neighbors, co-workers and others that you meet in your daily life. Don’t get discouraged if you blow it. We all do occasionally. Simply, move on and keep on encouraging. When we encourage others, we start a ripple effect that can change countless lives. Those we encourage feel better about themselves and start to encourage others in their lives. You never know when your encouraging word can save someones life. You never know when building someone up can give them a positive outlook, changing their lives forever.
Remember the old school saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? Words do hurt. Our words have the power to change someones life forever. I choose to encourage others. I choose to build others up. I choose to use my words to give others life. I choose to let others know that they are loved.
HOW WILL YOU USE YOUR WORDS?
Patti Burris 