30 Days Of More: Encourages Wanted!

                         Everyday is a brand new day, everyday is a journey.

Truly God follows us with encouragements: 
let him not lose his blessing upon us! 
They come in season, and with all the
 advantages of heartening, as if God should say, "
Up and be doing, and I will stand by you and help you!" 
There is nothing to be feared but our own sin and sloth.
—Oliver Cromwell

The one thing that I think we are sorely needing nowadays are encouragers. People no longer encourage, nurture or even embrace the responsibility of a Christian to be the cheerleader in someone's life. I cannot tell you how many times any idea of mine or goal has been dampened by someone's ill advised words.

What? That's so stupid. Forget about it. Why would you do that? You want to do what?

Or a time where maybe I needed comfort only to be the one doing the comforting. There is always someone out there worse off than you, isn't there? Everyone needs an encouraging word or a hug or just a listening ear. If everyone out there listened to all these naysayers, we wouldn't have any kind of inventions. We would still be in the cave trying to stay warm for lack of a fire.

The world needs encouragers now more than ever. I want to be an encourager and try to do so, especially when speaking to a young person. They are so full of spirit and newness, ready to embrace life. So why do we feel we need to distinguish that fire in them? Why distinguish any person's fire at all?

I think it all boils down to envy. People are not happy for other's good fortune. Instead, they wonder why not me? I should have won that prize or had that happen to me. I deserve it more than that person. Envy ruins relationships faster than anything else.

 So how can we become better encouragers? I googled that exact sentence and many different websites appeared all offering the same bits of advice. It's all kind of basic and common sense really, but I will tell you what has worked for me.

1. We should congratulate people on any good fortune befallen to them even if your heart is not in it. The more we do it, the more it will become a natural thing to do. I've started this years ago and I do it now without thinking.
2. We need to pray for people even the ones we do not like. I have to admit it was especially hard for me to do so. I could pray for family and friends, but not those mean people. Well, I've started a prayer journal at the beginning of the year and I will one day be proficient in this area too. Just pray, pray, pray and keep on praying.
3. Why does it even matter? Jesus said that if we do not love other people, we don't love Him. That's enough for me to keep trying in bettering myself so I can help others. 
4. We can make a choice here and choose to be encouragers and perhaps grow as a nation, a culture, a body of believers. We can choose to do something good or choose to do something bad. Which would you rather be? I want to be known as someone that has inspired others to be better. When I get to Heaven, I want to meet the people in whom I've planted a seed. Lord, help me grow so I can be an encourager to others.

Have a blessed day everyone.