Real Encouragement

It's easy for me to think of ministry as something that consists of preaching and music. Much of the time that I spend in the church every week is taken up by preparing sermons and worship setlists.

Both of these things are important to the life of the church and I have a passion for preaching and worship. Great worship sessions and messages can change lives forever because of the Holy Spirit and the awesome power of God, but I am contending in this blog that neither one of these common Christian mediums can overshadow the ridiculous, incredible, potent, piercing, life-changing power of real encouragement.

The interesting thing about bringing real encouragement to other people's lives is that it's both the easiest thing you could ever do, and it's one of the most difficult.

— It's Easy —

Why is encouragement easy? Well, for one thing, it's easy because of technology.

With multiple social networks and hundreds of contacts on your cell phone it has never been easier to send encouragement to those who need it. You can literally change someone's life by texting (!), liking someone's status, telling someone that they're loved and accepted despite any circumstance. People need YOU!

— It's Difficult —

Why is encouragement difficult? Pride, selfishness, unforgiveness, frustration in our own lives or just plain silliness.

I'll be honest with you and tell you that I often find it very difficult to encourage people. Sometimes it's because I feel like they've never encouraged me, they upset me before, I think they're getting encouraged by enough people already (wouldn't want them to get a big head, right?), I think they're too far gone, they're not Christians, they're annoying, they smell, whatever (insert your reason here).

But the real reason I find it hard to encourage is because I don't see myself in them, and it's convenient and self-satisfying for me to stay on top of the people who are "below" me and to try to drag down the people who are doing "better" than me.

Paul said:

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15 KJV).

Paul was so successful in his ministry because he was able to see himself as "chief of sinners." When I think of myself as "another sinner", that allows me to compare myself with others and find a spot that I'm satisfied with on the sin totem pole.

A realization like the one that Paul had leads me to see that the sin I have in me isn't different from the sin that I find in the most successful business person, the drug addict on the street, the confused high schooler, the man having an affair and the incredible pastor.

If I'm not so different from anyone else, and I know that God can save anyone just like he saved me, then why would I withhold the encouragement that I desperately need?