A friend of mine just lost his precious wife after a lifetime together! Literally, these two childhood sweethearts grew up together, got married, and were then inseparable for sixty plus years thereafter.
As we met and had lunch together, he talked about the great voids he now has in his heart, in his life, and in his time. But he also talked about the many ways he is now looking into to help fill those respective voids.
He then paid me a tremendous personal complement; which I had not expected, but which I also graciously acknowledged. This led to his telling me that one of the things he is intent on doing in the time he has left in this world is finding ways of being an encouragement to others.
As we talked, he mentioned that years ago when he was a public school administrator, he had a pad of sticky notes printed up that said: “I CAUGHT YOU DOING SOMETHING GOOD!” He talked about how he would post such notes on educator’s desks along with t a few written words to encourage them, and also of the unexpected responses such notes often engendered as recipients often went out of their way to express what his note of encouragement had mean to them.
He then said that his goal these days is never to go to bed without having found some way to encourage someone, somewhere, somehow! That is to say, he has committed that he will not lay down to go to sleep at night unless and until he has either had a conversation, written a note, made a phone call, sent a text message, composed an email, or else found some other such similar way wherein he has specifically encouraged someone.
As he shared this simple but effective idea, I could not help but think of all the people I know who are in need of encouragement even now. I also thought about how I too needed to find a way to offer them the encouragement they need.
I was further reminded of the words of Jesus in His famed “Sermon on the Mount” in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 7, verse 2), when He said: “Whatever measure you use toward others is what will be used to measure back to you!”
Do you need a little encouragement today? It is likely that you do; for the world in which we live can be a very tough place. If so, then why not offer a little encouragement to someone else. Do this enough and you might just find some of that encouragement coming right back atcha’!
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/matthew/7-2.htm.
As we met and had lunch together, he talked about the great voids he now has in his heart, in his life, and in his time. But he also talked about the many ways he is now looking into to help fill those respective voids.
He then paid me a tremendous personal complement; which I had not expected, but which I also graciously acknowledged. This led to his telling me that one of the things he is intent on doing in the time he has left in this world is finding ways of being an encouragement to others.
As we talked, he mentioned that years ago when he was a public school administrator, he had a pad of sticky notes printed up that said: “I CAUGHT YOU DOING SOMETHING GOOD!” He talked about how he would post such notes on educator’s desks along with t a few written words to encourage them, and also of the unexpected responses such notes often engendered as recipients often went out of their way to express what his note of encouragement had mean to them.
He then said that his goal these days is never to go to bed without having found some way to encourage someone, somewhere, somehow! That is to say, he has committed that he will not lay down to go to sleep at night unless and until he has either had a conversation, written a note, made a phone call, sent a text message, composed an email, or else found some other such similar way wherein he has specifically encouraged someone.
As he shared this simple but effective idea, I could not help but think of all the people I know who are in need of encouragement even now. I also thought about how I too needed to find a way to offer them the encouragement they need.
I was further reminded of the words of Jesus in His famed “Sermon on the Mount” in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 7, verse 2), when He said: “Whatever measure you use toward others is what will be used to measure back to you!”
Do you need a little encouragement today? It is likely that you do; for the world in which we live can be a very tough place. If so, then why not offer a little encouragement to someone else. Do this enough and you might just find some of that encouragement coming right back atcha’!
SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/matthew/7-2.htm.