O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colourful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires …
And all your walls of precious stones.
Isaiah 54:11-12
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colourful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires …
And all your walls of precious stones.
Isaiah 54:11-12
Everyone has a gift and one of the greatest joys is sharing our gift with others. I love encouraging people, but there’s an art to making people feel better. Here are some things that you can do to encourage the down-hearted, refresh the weary, heal the bruised and build up the broken:
· Listen – lend a patient and attentive ear
· Pray – shoot up a prayer and ask God what to say
· Give Hope – let people know God won’t let them down
· Share – share advice without monopolizing conversation
· Choose – choose words that add honey or salt (not gall)
· Quote – quote scripture or other inspirational sayings
· Tickle – use your sense of humour to bring a smile
· Compliment – say something nice but genuine about them
· Say nothing – caring silence with a hug speaks volumes
· Picture – use imagery to offer memorable advice
· Make Contact – hug, squeeze shoulder, hold hand, rub back
· Write – write a letter or send a kind message
· Sing – sing a song of comfort, encouragement, inspiration
· Call – ring them up, ask how they are, probe below “I'm ok.”
· Give – get them something to sweeten their day
· Accept – accept who they are, but inspire them with tomorrow
· Listen – lend a patient and attentive ear
· Pray – shoot up a prayer and ask God what to say
· Give Hope – let people know God won’t let them down
· Share – share advice without monopolizing conversation
· Choose – choose words that add honey or salt (not gall)
· Quote – quote scripture or other inspirational sayings
· Tickle – use your sense of humour to bring a smile
· Compliment – say something nice but genuine about them
· Say nothing – caring silence with a hug speaks volumes
· Picture – use imagery to offer memorable advice
· Make Contact – hug, squeeze shoulder, hold hand, rub back
· Write – write a letter or send a kind message
· Sing – sing a song of comfort, encouragement, inspiration
· Call – ring them up, ask how they are, probe below “I'm ok.”
· Give – get them something to sweeten their day
· Accept – accept who they are, but inspire them with tomorrow
And the list could go on and on because encouragement is really about being thoughtful. Once we consider how we would want to be treated were the shoe on our foot, then it becomes much easier. There is an art to building. Springs of care refresh when we thirst for hope, balms and ointments of sweet words heal when we are hurting, and the oil of joy rejoices our heart when friendship is near. Creative kindness pours courage into our moments of weakness. There is an art to building, to restoring, to beautifying. Here I offer you a cup of hope, paint a rainbow through your clouds, and plant a garden in your heart. Dip into this well of joy and be refreshed. This is my gift which I gladly share with you.
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