I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35
We have been considering ways to encourage each other, especially in light of Jesus words (quoted by Paul) “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” And that applies especially to giving encouragement. So far the posts have been about encouraging each other at church. Today, here are a few ideas about encouraging each other when we are not at church.
Encouragement cards. We have been supplying index cards in the seat backs at church for use as encouragement since the church began in 1985. This is such a simple way to encourage each other. You write the note with the recipient’s name on it and we’ll address it, stamp it, and mail it. To whom might you send a card? How about people in the prayer section of the bulletin? People who are missing. Or to people who serve in the church. What might you write? Praying for you. I missed you. Thank you. Tell the person(s) how they have blessed you. And whether you hear back or not, you’ll know that someone will have gotten a word of encouragement in their mail box that week! (Consider making this a regular ministry every Sunday you are at church!)
Emails. Probably all our email in boxes are flooded with loads of spam, useless emails, and forwarded jokes we do not find amusing. How cool to receive a brief encouragement email from someone in the body! Keep these emails short and sweet. Just encourage the person. Don’t ask questions the person will feel obligated to respond to, since like you, they’re busy! What a breath of fresh air in our email inboxes to simply be encouraged!
Phone calls. Calls take a bit more time and effort. And since people are busy, if you call, keep it short and sweet: “I just wanted to call to say you were on my mind and I prayed for you today.” To keep from making the call longer than necessary, don’t ask questions—just encourage! And if your call goes to voicemail, leave an encouraging voice message and tell the person they need not call back.
Remember, it is a blessing to receive words of encouragement, but it is more blessed to give than to receive!