Tag Archives: Be an encourager

Don’t Fake Love

8 Sep

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

My friend, Pat is a delightful mixture of elegant Southern style, charm and out spoken opinions and I love her. This past year she has traveled the road of widowhood and has done so with courage, joy and tears.  She and her husband, shared a life long passion for memorizing scripture passages and the conversations of our weekly breakfast group were often spiced with passages that tied into whatever of the world’s problems we were solving.

This Wednesday at breakfast she handed me a card in an envelope and asked me to open it after we left. At home, I opened the card, a beautiful handmade creation, with a hand written note, thanking us for offering to drive her to Asheville for eye surgery. I looked on the back and sure enough, there was the name of the person who made the card.  I suspected  Pat had purchased the cards to encourage this creator in the same way she encouraged my daughter, Rebekah by buying her novels and giving them to people she thought might enjoy reading them.

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Isn’t it pretty?

At the bottom of the sweet note she shared a scripture, Romans 12:9-13. KJV

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

 

I decided to read some other versions and when I came to The Message it read in the same way Pat encourages us. Perfect!

The Message

9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

 

This was on the bottom inside of the card.

 

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If we all did this, we could change the world.

27 Aug

 

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK SNEAK PEEK: CLICK HERE

 

My jaw was still numb as I approached the receptionist desk at the dentist. She handed me the card. “Here’s your next appointment date.”

“Thank you,” I said. Then I leaned toward her and whispered, “And stay as sweet as you are.”

She didn’t answer. But after a few seconds, she cleared her throat, “That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me lately.” Her voice quivered.

I gave her a huge smile. But on the way home, her response rode in the car with me. What prompted me to say that to her? How often had I encountered folks who might also need a kind word, an encouraging comment or a genuine smile?

But the busyness of life, the tugging of the next chore, the issues at hand, usually erase any desire to encourage those we meet, those we know and…gulp…those we love.

We all hear words of discouragement on the news, at work, in the street, on the radio, on TV, on social media. But we have the power to change that.

We can make a difference choosing to encourage others. To share kind words, to impart positive comments and give a verbal hug.

Here are three truths about the power of our words:

  1. “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” (Proverbs 12:25)
  2. “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Proverbs 6:24)
  3. “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11)

Our words can lift the soul, bring a smile and touch the heart.

What impact will the power of your words have today?

 

Source: If we all did this, we could change the world. | Janet Perez Eckles

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Looking Up

11 Sep

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

 

Life presents many challenges from birth to the grave,
But lift your thoughts to God above
He promises to save.

 

God fashioned us in our mother’s womb,
so I am certain He had a plan.
We were designed in His own image
to serve our fellow man.

 

When I was a child, I thought as a child-
striving always to please.
It took a lot of challenges
to set my heart at ease.

 

My heartfelt wish, as I was growing up
was to be a caring soul.
I desired all humanity
to make loving others their goal.

I know it is unrealistic
to expect Heaven here on earth-
But wouldn’t it be wonderful
if every soul felt its worth?

 

Reach out and “touch someone”-
A word of encouragement, or a smile will do.
Your kindness will be rewarded-
It will all come back to you.

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