Power of Encouragement
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and strength to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24
This verse has become especially meaningful to me this week. I guess I have always known that people work better with a little encouragement rather than tons of “helpful” criticism, but this week I have watched it in practice.
We have family working here helping in our building project and one of those is a dear nephew who was born with Down”s. He is a great young man and always wants to be doing whatever the men in the family are doing.
Many of the tasks being done here are hard work and Glen is not the most able, but will he take a break?. He is determined to do every job he gets and do it perfectly. As long as he gets encouragement!!!
Being typically Irish the “uncles” are given to teasing a good bit and when they tease Glen about a job or tell him he is doing it too slow or not well enough, it is amazing to watch the light leave that young man”s eyes as he trudges through the task attempting to finish it in any way possible.
However, when he is encouraged just a little, he takes off and does his work with joy and really very precisely. Glen has a work ethic which I seldom see in people nowadays. He tries his best, and by doing so, overcomes much of his disability. Yet, without encouragement, he is not able to function nearly as well and certainly not happily.
How true this is of each and every one of us. Not that we go looking for praise for all we do, but it is so special and encouraging when someone says some appreciative words, especially when we don”t feel that what we do is worth noticing. Somehow when praised we see the job in a different light and the burden seems to suddenly get lighter.
For some reason, it is also much easier to take advice from those who have an encouraging spirit, than from one who, although happy to teach us how to do something better, is very critical of what has been done up until that point. We want to listen to the encourager and have him show us even better methods.
Sometimes, it is not easy to find something that a person is doing well, but if it is important enough to mention in the Bible, then it is obvious we are meant to use encouraging words with every person. No matter how hopeless is the work which has been done, there has to be something good we can say about it, even if it is only to tell them not to worry as it can be done again at another date. The Bible tells us to “encourage ourselves in the Lord” and the more we do that the more we will be able to encourage others.
Let us try to encourage one another by looking for the positive in every situation, meaning more will be achieved, and those we come in touch with will be more inclined to listen to what we have to say. People who have strong bones and sweet souls are good workers for the Lord and God has allowed us the privilege of strengthening others merely by encouraging them. It doesn”t take a rocket scientist, anyone of us can do it and indeed we should.