What’s going on everyone!! So this week has been crazy, and I honestly had trouble thinking of what to write about. This week, I have gotten the privilege to meet with a few people who have great influence in my life. A major key that I was able to take away is the power of encouragement. We as people desire mainly 3 aspects: to be cherished, listened to, and appreciated. Most times, a simple ‘hi’ goes a long way. I know for me personally, a smile from a friend or even a held door when my hands are full go a long way to making me feel that I am important. We live in a world where we desire attention, and are brought down when we do not receive it. Social media plays such a role, because we try to spruce up our photos (life) so that we can receive affirmation from others, whether we know them or not.
When I think of the power of encouragement, I can’t help but to think of how much better the world would be if we took the time to encourage someone, whether a family member or friend or even a stranger. It doesn’t have to be a full fledged paragraph, but it feels good to have even a simple word of encouragement. When we receive encouragement, it gives us a boost of confidence that we are doing something right, which can totally change the trajectory of our day and even our lives. Personally speaking, I make a goal for myself to try to encourage a stranger and someone that I walk with every day. It goes a long way to help someone. Even in Scripture, we find Jesus saying that we should encourage one another and lift each other up. It isn’t just a “Christian” thing to do. It literally is something we should all do as fellow human beings.
The rest of this week, I challenge us all to 1.) Find a way to encourage someone, specifically a stranger you do not know. Be intentional with the person as well. And 2.) Encourage yourself. Find a way to lift yourself up even if you feel like nothing is going right. We all need a little self encouragement from time to time as well. Self health is very valuable, so this would be very key for us all, including myself.
Much Love,
Ryan W.
