“I appreciate you.”
Three simple words that go a long way in encouraging those around us. When we are feeling lackluster and don’t know the point of continuing what we’re doing, we need that encouragement to keep going. We need those words of affirmation to remind us that what we are doing is important and helps others for the better. Encouraging others can be a challenge for people sometimes. Julia were talking one night about how a lot of times people in our lives don’t see the importance of showing affirmation. She reminded me that we all have our strengths and some people just don’t have encouraging others as a strength. I was about to say, “You’re right,” but I felt the Holy Spirit say to me, “That doesn’t mean it should be a weakness.”
There is a mentality that when we are unable to cope with the stress and frustration we are considered weak. If you need someone to say, “You can do it” or “I believe in you” then you clearly aren’t strong enough to handle the situation. But the problem isn’t strength. The problem is support. We all need to know that someone is supporting us. When we don’t feel supported or encouraged, we lose faith in ourselves and question our desire to press through.
1 Thessalonians tells us to “encourage one another and build each other up”. The word encourage literally means “to put courage in”. God understands the importance and value of encouragement. All throughout scripture you see God encouraging and reminding people of their value in Him. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous and affirmed his position in leading Israel to the Promised Land. God affirmed Gideon would be victorious in defeating the Midianites and Amalakites. Jesus used affirmation to encourage the disciples by calling them friends. Jesus even told a parable about some dude telling people he loaned money, “Well done good and faithful servant.” So if God Himself is going to make up stories about random rich guys sharing the wealth and telling people “GREAT JOB!”, then we need to be willing to step up and affirm those around us.
When I was a kid, I would sometimes get an allowance if I did all the laundry and got my chores done. So one day, Dad had to run some errands and asked if I’d like to go to the mall. Now I was in junior high and had never been to the mall by myself before. But according to the every 80’s & 90’s sitcom ever, teenagers are supposed to hang out at the mall. So I figured why not. Let’s try this whole mall thing. So he drops me off and tells me what time he’ll be back and where I need to meet him. Dad ran his errands and got back right on time but I was already waiting for him outside. He asked how long I’d been there and I told him only a few minutes. Now I had to earn the trust Dad had to let me go to the mall by myself and I didn’t want to jeopardize that trust. I valued it. I valued it because Dad always affirmed how important that was. I got in the car and he said, “Jeramy I am so proud of you and I appreciate you being where I asked you to be.” That phrase alone was worth more to me than all the allowance in the world. To see the smile on his face and hear the joy in his voice of how proud he was made me feel loved and appreciated. It reaffirmed my value as his son, but also as a dependable person.
If you need anymore proof of how much God values encouraging and affirming us, look no further than the baptism of Jesus. God calls our from Heaven saying “This is my son in whom I am well pleased.” God spoke so everyone could hear him say “I am so proud of my son”
God is so proud of you. He is so proud because we are His sons and daughters. He is so proud because He sees the potential for greatness within us. Sometimes we lose site of that and we need to be reminded. I encourage you today to find someone in your life, a family member, a coworker, a classmate, a neighbor, take a moment to let them know you appreciate who they are. Not just what they do for you, but that you appreciate who they are. Remind them who they are; a beloved child of God with a father in Heaven who is so very very proud.
