Stick with Encouragement

Have you ever been discouraged? I have. Have you ever faced a period of prolonged discouragement? Have you ever been discouraged over a job promotion that passed you by? Have you ever been discouraged over your marriage or another important relationship?

Have you ever been discouraged in ministry? Have you prayed and worked and waited only to have a major effort fail? I have.

Discouraged or a Discourager

Discouragement is something everyone faces at one time or another. But, let’s turn the question around: Have you ever been a discourager? Sometimes we discourage people without meaning to. A casual word not meant to be negative is perceived as such. A well-intended critique is received as overly critical. Causing someone to become discouraged is something all Christians should avoid.

Some people are natural encouragers. Every time they speak, people around them feel better. When they are in a team meeting, the members of the team feel like goals can be met. Everyone wants to be around an encourager. As Ben Mandrell writes in Bible Studies for Life, “Encouragement strengthens relationships.”¹ Few people are known more for encouragement than Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement.”

Encouragement Makes a Difference

It’s worth noting that Barnabas was not that disciple’s given name. It was his nickname. His name, as recorded in Acts 4:36, was Joseph of Cyprus. It seems Barnabas’s ministry brought encouragement to so many he was renamed to reflect it. Barnabas’s ministry in the life of the new convert Saul (Acts 9) is evidence of what encouragement often entails: putting one’s self “out there.” In the words of Ben Mandrell, “You may never know the difference you make in another’s life when you simply extend the hand of fellowship and invite him or her into your world.”²

Here are two good ways to encourage others: 

1. Make intentional introductions
2. Look for good things in others to affirm

Few things are more difficult than being the new person in a group. At work, in the neighborhood, at church, or in a sports league, all these places find new people onboarding. Most churches have visitors regularly; people who may have never attended any church.

Ways to be Intentional 

It is important for followers of Jesus to be intentional in social settings. On Sunday morning we should scour the auditorium for new faces. A smile with “Hi. Great to see you” or “I’m sorry, I’m not sure we’ve met” or “Can I help you find something?” goes a long way. No one should leave our gatherings wondering whether they were even seen or not. It isn’t necessary to be a one-person Welcome Wagon in order to be intentional. A kind word and welcoming actions are very encouraging.

Ways to Affirm

We should also look for things to affirm in others. Many people are natural critics, and not even in a negative sense. They simply feel the best way to help others is to help them correct bad things about their life. This certainly has a place, but all negative all the time is not encouraging.

Instead, we should seek to affirm. Everyone in the world has a positive quality, even if that quality comes across negatively. We can point out the sharp mind behind the sharp tongue, the consistency behind the stubbornness, or the attention to detail behind the obsessiveness. Affirming positive qualities is an overtly encouraging act that opens doors and strengthens relationships.

Why not be a Barnabas? Why not stick with encouragement? Everyone around us will be glad when we do. This is why we need to stick with encouragement! 

Yours for the Great Commission,

Ronnie W. Floyd

References

¹, ²– Bible Studies for Life, Like Glue, Ben Mandrell