We just can’t get enough of it, and there is always a shortage. Supply and demand dictates the value and therefore worth of a product. If encouragement were gasoline it would cost a million dollars a gallon. There is so much demand and so little available.
Being encouraged or ‘cheered on’ in life starts when we’re little. I see my 2 granddaughters flip-flopping around the house; they love gymnastics and they seem to spend a third of their lives upside down. Lincoln, our 3-year-old grandson, wants in on the action. He routinely gets on his hands and feet then lifts one foot off the ground and says, “Mimi, watch! watch!” I proceed to tell him how amazing he is and how this simple act is worth great celebration. This is how the encouragement cycle begins. The problem or deficit only starts when people get used to this interaction and then it wanes.
I’ve watched my husband Danny fill the role of an encourager to so many people around the globe, and for someone who didn’t have a father around after age 6, that is quite a feat. I’ve often wondered how he’s done it. The only possible answer is that he had to learn to get encouragement from another source. Where, you may ask, does he get this encouragement? The obvious answer is from the Lord. The Bible says, “It is the Lord who goes before you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8. A great George Mueller quote says, “When nothing else will work, encourage yourself in the Lord. Do it with the word of God. Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you. “ The other source for Danny and most of us is people! We live and interact with God’s amazing family. This should provide an endless supply of encouragement. We have so many opportunities to give life throughout the day. I have a friend who knows I love the taste of cinnamon. She randomly buys me candy and puts it on my desk. It simply says, I’ve been thinking about you and acted on my thoughts to bring you joy and encouragement.
The bottom line is that it’s our job to bring encouragement to those around us; we can’t wait until our tanks are full to give it out. We shouldn’t think that we have no encouragement to give unless we’ve been encouraged first. We need to give encouragement away daily. Be the one that cheers others on. If you don’t live in a culture that encourages and affirms others, then change your culture! Movements start from the bottom up but Culture is changed from the top. Be a leader in your environment, at work, at home, with your friends and extended family.
Bring encouragement and it will surely come back to you!!