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\u201cEncouragement is oxygen to the soul\u201d (George Matthew Adams).<\/p>\n
WHO COULD SURVIVE WITHOUT SOME ENCOURAGEMENT? Not many of us, probably. There may be the hermit here and there who\u2019s so self-motivated that the encouragement of other human beings is not needed, but most of us mortals need to know, at least now and then, that somebody sees something in us that\u2019s worth affirming, supporting, and nurturing. The soul needs its own \u201coxygen.\u201d<\/p>\n
When we look back, most of us can see periods of remarkable growth in our lives that resulted from someone\u2019s encouragement. That being true, you\u2019d think we\u2019d offer this gift to other people every time we had the opportunity. Unfortunately, when encouragement is called for, we often substitute criticism, as if that were the primary stimulant of growth. It\u2019s a fact that constructive criticism is sometimes the thing that\u2019s needed, and the friend who won\u2019t tell us the truth when we need to hear it, is not really our friend. But we often get the proportion wrong. Our encouragement of others ought to outweigh our criticism by at least five-to-one. For every thing that needs to be dis<\/em>-couraged, we ought to look for four or five things that can be truly en<\/em>-couraged. \u201cCorrection does much, but encouragement does more\u201d (Goethe).<\/p>\n Someone has said that \u201cthe small change of human happiness lies in the unexpected friendly word.\u201d I have a hunch that the \u201cunexpected friendly word\u201d might be a more powerful boost to our happiness than all the planned and premeditated encouragement in the world. Who among us hasn\u2019t had a bad day transformed by someone\u2019s casual good word, completely unexpected and therefore all the more encouraging?<\/p>\n Encouragement is an act of hope, an investment in the future. To encourage someone is to make a statement concerning their potential; it says, \u201cI believe in what you can be.\u201d Encouragement plants seeds that can grow and bear fruit. When we encourage, we keep hope alive.<\/p>\n When we see what other people need, we\u2019re often struck by a sense of helplessness. Much of the time, what is needed consists of things we can\u2019t provide. But encouragement is something we can always provide.<\/em> It\u2019s the most doable thing in the world. It doesn\u2019t take genius and it doesn\u2019t take wealth. It only takes a caring heart.<\/p>\n \u201cLet us therefore animate and encourage one another\u201d (George Washington).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n