Encourage

Encourage.

This one simple word has been coming to mind a lot lately.

 There are times in everyone’s life when encouragement is hard to come by. Life can be quite discouraging overall sometimes, and somewhere between our minor daily disappointments and our seemingly ‘broken dreams’, we lose heart and we lose motivation.  I truly believe there is great importance in the Christian community coming together to encourage each other. And I don’t mean in only “spiritual” ways…

We each have a part to play and we each have different gifts. We all are capable of encouraging, even the most ‘realistic’ of us. ;)  Every Christian should be optimistic in a couple of respects:

1.      There is always HOPE.

…Maybe there isn’t always hope of recovery or hope of more time on earth. Maybe there isn’t always hope for someone who’s now dealing with the consequences of the past or to recover lost time or money. But there is always hope in knowing that God is in control. There is hope that if you believe in Christ, you will have a heavenly escape after this life on earth. There is hope that nothing is too great, too broken, too far from God’s hand and His heart.

2.      There is always POTENTIAL to INFLUENCE.

… There is always potential to influence and encourage those around us.  Maybe it’s one neighbor, a stranger, a few co-workers, or perhaps we have a large audience, but no matter what, there is always potential in influencing those around us in the way we live and speak. It doesn’t necessarily take money or status to influence others.  It takes us living respectably and with integrity.

3. We are only required to LOVE GOD.

…Loving God means having a relationship with Him. It mean following His commandments and wanting to please Him, always.  It means loving others.  It means doing what we say, acting in a wise manner, seeking wise counsel and aligning our goals with God’s ...and surrendering our will to His. When we consistently align ourselves with the bible and it’s principles, our actions and thoughts all follow along.

If we were judged based on perfection, none of us would ever measure up. We aren’t perfect, just forgiven. Redeemed.

4.      There is always POTENTIAL for CHANGE.

…We can’t always change our circumstances or the world we currently live in but we can change ourselves. We can be responsible for our choices and actions. We can direct the path of our own lives. We can help direct the path of our families, our companies and our communities. We can change our hearts, our minds and our motives. No one is beyond God’s reach. He won’t impose himself on those who turn their back, but He will always be there and will never let go of his kids.

I challenge you to continue to…

"Encourage one another daily," Hebrews 3:13

…Because we all need to be reminded of the hope and potential we have through Christ.

<3 Lauren