Be an Encouragement to Someone, and do it Always
I once served a dear woman of God. Each time she ministered, I would meet her on her way to her office or follow her to the office where I would say to her, “That was a great ministration as usual, ma. I learnt something new today. Despite being familiar with that Scripture, I had never seen it in that light. Thank you for being such a huge blessing, ma. I was extremely blessed.”
And if it was not the exact words above, I would say something similar.
Each time I did, I loved the response I got. Her face would light up and her countenance would brighten up. She would smile and ask, “Really?”
I would smile and nod, “Yes, ma.”
Then, she would say, “Ehn, ehn? Ah, thank God o.”
-----
Minsters of the Gospel need encouragement. You don’t know what many of them are battling with. Some battle with insecurity, some battle with being misunderstood, some battle with insufficiency, some with uncertainty, some with marital challenges and so on. (And yes, I know you feel and think they shouldn't; but you see, the reality is that they do. They are humans, after all)
-----
Mike Murdock once considered leaving the ministry when he newly started out, as a result of discouragement. I once left a group I created as a result of discouragement. There was a time I went off radar and abandoned ministry for almost a year as a result of discouragement. The Biblical prophet Elijah once felt so discouraged and depressed that he asked God to take his life – that was immediately after he had just had a major ministration backed with great demonstration of power; where he had called fire down from heaven.
-----
I remember how when I was pregnant with our first son and in the ninth month of the pregnancy, I had not bought even a pin. Then, I received a message from a mentee who was also pregnant and was in her fifth month or thereabout. She wrote telling me of how things were 'very tight' for them and how she needed money to buy baby things. When I saw her message, I thought to myself, “If only you knew…”
I replied to her and wrote, “The Lord will provide.”
-----
Who would have thought that he who gives courage also needs to be encouraged, sometimes? Who would have thought that ministers of the Gospel also need encouragement, too? Who would have thought that encouragement is often needed in the places from which we receive them mostly?
-----
You don’t know what your thoughtful messages would do to someone, sometimes. You don’t know what your thoughtful gifts would do, too.
I received a message from someone this morning (on the day this was written) that brought tears to my eyes. And no, I wasn’t discouraged before I received it but it just did something to my courage. When I sent some words of encouragement back to the source it came from, I was surprised to learn that the sender was encouraged by my words, too.
I learnt a lesson early in life:
The places where encouragement is usually needed most are those places we least expect them to be needed at all…
Run with this.
Be an encouragement to somebody today. Do it always…
Comments
Post a Comment