Last week I received compliments from three different people on the great job I’m doing as a Mum. To say that these came at precisely the right time would be an understatement. I needed to hear it. If the people that God used to encourage me had chosen not to, if they felt like I already knew it so did not need to be affirmed, I would not have received that extra push to keep me going and the assurance that my efforts are yielding results even when it does not seem like it sometimes. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you were such an encouragement to someone as well? Next time you get a nudging in your spirit to tell the lady in line at the store how lovely her outfit is, do not ignore it. Make her day! Next time you are walking by a nice old lady weeding her flower garden, let how know how awesome it looks and how much more beautiful the street is because of her efforts. It may seem like such a small thing to you, but it could mean the world to the person who hears it. It might just be the turning point in their day from gloom to joy, from hopelessness to renewed strength, giving them the encouragement they need to keep going.
I remember sharing an elevator once with a lady who looked stunning in a pair of jeans. Before I knew it, I had blurted out my thoughts “those jeans look great on you!” You should have seen her face; she beamed with such a huge smile; you know the kind that reflects in the eyes as well? This lovely lady did not hide her joy as she told me how happy she was that I had complimented her outfit because she had worked really hard to fit into those jeans and was glad that someone else had also noticed the results. After thanking me a few extra times, she left with her smile still intact and I’m glad I made her day a little brighter. This reminded me of the Bible verse in Acts 20:35 that says it is more blessed to give than to receive. I too left with joy in my heart, feeling awesome for making someone feel awesome.
Even God, our creator, knows that we need to hear that we are loved and thought of. Have you ever noticed that in the book of Daniel, the first thing that the Angel sent from God tells Daniel is not “Thus says the Lord” but rather, “you are greatly loved”.
Daniel 10:11 He said, “Daniel, you are greatly loved and a precious treasure to God. Now, stand up and understand the words that I am about to say, for God has sent me to you.”
How beautiful is that? After hearing how loved and precious I am to God, I would be highly motivated to do whatever this God has in mind for me to do. Who wouldn’t want to please someone that loves and treasures them? And God has assured us, in His Word, that He loves us so much, it is beyond human understanding. It goes further even, because God, who loves us, has also commanded us to love one another as well.
John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Let us normalize telling people how much they mean to us. That we love them. That we thank God for putting them in our lives. That we appreciate them, we admire their work ethic, that their gentle spirit soothes us, that the way the keep time and are reliable makes our lives so much better. Never pass up an opportunity to say something nice and encouraging to loved ones, strangers, children, neighbor’s, teachers, pastors, postmen and post women, the cashier and barista, everyone. Let us normalize paying compliments to strangers and see how their faces light up with a smile.
Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that the power of life and death is in the tongue, so let us use our tongues to speak life into the lives of those around us.
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Read more of Rachel’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
