by wendy | Jul 23, 2020 | Encouragement, Godly Relationships, Tips for Encouraging Others
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 18:10
Just about every encouragement tip we talk about here can be applied to the children in your life as well, but here a few ideas specifically for encouraging the children in your life:
- Let them know you see them.
Everyone needs to know they are seen. Make eye contact with children you see. Smile. Say hello. Call them by name. You never know how meaningful that could be to a child who feels unseen.
- Encourage them to try new things.
Most things are new experiences for children. How will they know what they are good at if they don’t try things? Do you remember the time when you first tried the thing you love to do most? Whenever possible, encourage kids to try new hobbies, new foods, new experiences.
- Remind them that it is okay to fail and affirm their resilience.
Rarely does a person get things right the first time. Kids need to know that they can fail and they need to experience recovery from a failure. We learn most when we have to try again. Resilience and perseverance are more healthy than perfectionism.
- Notice their passions and gifts.
Just as I shared in my post yesterday about the teacher that noticed my artistic ability, my parents were also a great encouragement to my sister and I to pursue the things that we loved. It only takes a small amount of observation and conversation to discover a child’s passions. Simply showing interest and asking questions will encourage them.
- Teach them about something you love.
Take the time to teach a child about something you love to do. Invite them to join you while you cook or bake, show them how to knit or crochet, teach them a favorite card game or how to bait a hook, ask them to help you fix the car or weed the garden. You might just spark an interest they never would have known they had.
- Ask them about their highs and lows.
When you ask a child about their highs (the best things that happened today or this week) and lows (the worst thing that happened today or this week) you are showing an interest in how they really feel about things. When we show others we value their opinions we give them the confidence to speak up.
Other variations:
“What was the best thing and the worst thing about your vacation?”
“What is your favorite character in the book/movie and your least favorite?”
“What food do you like best? What food do you like least?”
Everyone needs to feel heard. Take the time to listen to a child. Ask questions and respond to what they are saying.
Pray with and for children. When our children were younger, we prayed with them each night. We started with the oldest child to the youngest child and then Jerry and I. I loved hearing their hearts as they prayed for others and I know it was meaningful to them as they heard Jerry and I pray for each of them by name. Ask children how they would like you to pray for them and then give them confirmation that you have been praying.
- Tell children where you have seen God at work in your life.
When you talk about how you see God at work, it helps children to learn to look for Him at work in their lives as well. We need to pass along the stories of God’s love, provision, and protection to our kids. When we share our faith, their faith grows and develops.
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
3 John 1:4
by wendy | Jul 22, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Trusting God
Painting in Progress by Wendy Custer
When I was in fourth grade, my teacher noticed my artistic ability. She called it out and encouraged me to continue. I am sure there were other things that led me in that direction as well, but it is that particular moment that I remember defining my future calling as an artist.
Adults have an incredible opportunity to encourage the little ones in our lives. Parents, grandparents, teachers, aunts and uncles, neighbors, babysitters – these are all the obvious influencers in a child’s life, but every one of us have an opportunity to notice and encourage children. Every smile, positive comment, and shining example plants a seed that germinates beneath the surface.
Every encouragement we offer children is important, but the most important encouragement we can offer is the encouragement to strengthen themselves in the Lord! It is this legacy that will serve our children regardless of what worldly direction they follow.
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
When Moses gave God’s commandments to the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, he reminded them of the need to teach their children about following the Lord. Their children had not seen and experienced God the way they had – but they could pass down the stories of God’s love, protection, and provision – and His ways.
“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.”
Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Moses was teaching the people to encourage themselves in the Lord and how to teach their children to encourage themselves in the Lord. This was the inheritance they wanted to pass down to the next generation – trusting God, relying on God, knowing God! If they could learn to call on Him and to depend on Him, Scripture says their days would be many!
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
Romans 10:14
We often rely on other people to teach our children. We might expect that the preaching should come from the Pastor or the Sunday School teacher, and it should, but every believer should be speaking the word – with words and with our lives. When we share the stories of how God is at work in our lives, we are training others – children and adults – to see Him at work in their lives as well.
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 3:14-15
As Paul reminds Timothy to continue in the ways he was taught by his mother and grandmother, we are reminded that our words and teaching have lasting significance in the life of a child – and that our investment in their faith will ripple out to affect generations to come as they continue in what they have learned!
by wendy | Jul 16, 2020 | Encouragement, Godly Relationships, Hospitality, Tips for Encouraging Others
The Bible specifically tells us to care for the widows among us.
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
James 1:27
I think widows often go unnoticed and underserved because they are so often the caretakers. While widows of today might not be in such dire straights as they were in biblical times, we must understand that they are still in need of our encouragement. Take some time to look around and think about who the widows are – in your church, in your neighborhood, and in your family.
Here are some specific ideas for encouraging widows:
1.Visit!
Living alone is – well – lonely. Even the most independent widow would probably enjoy some company from time to time. My friend, Tracy, and I have been having coffee chats with our neighbor widow, Agnes, for years.
2. Listen
Older widows have so much life experience to share. I often ask Ms. Agnes, “How did you handle this?” and “What was that stage like for you?” Her stories and wisdom give fresh insight for many of my life issues.
Younger widows have much to share as well. Though they may not have lived as long, grief and sorrow develops wisdom that we can all learn from.
Beyond the wisdom, everyone has a need to be heard.
3. Take along for shopping/errands
One of my favorite things when my children were small was pick up my Granny and take her along for shopping and errands. She enjoyed the outing and the kids – I enjoyed the extra set of hands and the adult company.
4. Take a meal or leftovers – eat with them whenever possible
Cooking for one and eating alone is no fun. Share your leftovers – especially in freezable portions – but more importantly share a meal and eat with her!
5. Invite to join your family for special occasions – or just for the day
Don’t wait for your house to be quiet and clean or for the time to prepare the perfect meal. Many widows would love the opportunity to join in your family time even if that feels chaotic to you. What you consider to be a zoo might just represent the fullness of life someone else has been missing.
6. Pray
Pray for and with the widows among you. Ask them specifically how you can pray for them and ask them to pray for you.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself. ”
Luke 10:27
by wendy | Jul 15, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Focus on God, Godly Relationships, Hospitality
My sweet elderly neighbor has recently returned from the hospital. Agnes is such an important part of our community here – she truly has a servant heart. Though her mind and spirit are in excellent shape, her body is declining and she needs assistance in order to stay in her home. It is a hard thing for Agnes to accept as she has always been the caretaker, but she is also so grateful for the people who are offering their help.
It has brought such joy to my heart to see the many people volunteering their time to stay with my dear friend. Agnes calls us her “committee” and there are more than 10 volunteers, along with family and some hired help that have come together to assist her through this time. It is an amazing testimony to what it looks like to follow God’s commands about looking after the widows.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1:27
My word study helped me to understand the words and phrases James used in this passage:
- “to look after” implies a range of actions from visiting to inspecting, or being concerned about the needy
- “religion” is defined as the expression of worship
In other words, we express pure worship when we are concerned about and act on behalf of the needy – or those who cannot look after themselves. James goes deeper into this concept later in Chapter 2 when he goes as far as to say that our actions define our faith.
“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:17
It is important to note that James in NOT saying that we are saved by our actions or deeds, rather genuine faith will PRODUCE good deeds. When we recognize the grace and mercy of God to save us, we are then compelled to have grace and mercy for others. God acts on our behalf – we act on the behalf of others in gratitude for what God has done for us!
In our society, we are accustomed to widows and orphans being cared for by the government or other entities. Many widows are even able to manage their own care – vastly different from biblical times. So are we to assume that this command is no longer relevant? If it is, who are our widows and orphans and how can we fulfill this command?
In many places in Scripture, God notes the difference between wicked and righteous as those who take care of the poor and needy. For example, in contrast to the wicked son of King Josiah, it is said of his father:
“He defended the cause of the poor and needy.”
Jeremiah 22:16
Josiah loved God by loving others and we are to do the same. Widows and orphans are examples of those who have great need and we should consider them our responsibility even when there are other options for them. But they are not the only examples.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25:40
When we are discerning who we should look after as a part of our worship and faith, we should ask these 2 questions:
- Who are the poor and needy among us?
- Who are the least of these?
There are many ways to serve – numerous opportunities to follow the command of “doing for the least of these.” As we pray about what God would have us do, let us never forget that we are called to follow God’s example.
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.”
Psalm 68:5
Could he be calling your family to serve the lonely today? Perhaps you are the answer to someone’s prayer.
by wendy | Jul 9, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Godly Relationships, Prayer, Tips for Encouraging Others
As I was writing the post, “Prepare and Perfect – Encouragement for the Process” earlier this week, I was reminded of the clear sense of mission Jesus had when he met with the Woman at the Well. When John says that Jesus had to go through Samaria, he is suggesting that Jesus needed to go there to accomplish something – not that it was the only road to get to where He was going. It is this same passion for mission that I want to have in my life as well.
I wrote another post about a “A Mission of Encouragement” last month and this is becoming a theme for me. That most likely means that God is using it as a teaching moment for me – and perhaps you as well. As God continues to bring up the topic of a Mission of Encouragement, He seems to turn it ever so slightly so I can look at it from a different angle each time. This week the angle is intercession – the Encouragement of Prayer.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Ephesians 6:18
Throughout Scripture, we are encouraged to pray for:
Each Other
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
James 5:16
Other Believers
“From the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”
Colossians 1:9
Our Country (towns, cities, counties, states)
“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
Jeremiah 29:7
Our Leaders
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2
Unbelievers
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.”
Romans 10:1
In order to be Intentional about our Mission of the Encouragement of Prayer, we need to have Intentional Strategies for Intercession.
Ideas for Intentional Intercession:
1.Planner Prayer
- Gather favorite verses from friends and family and write them on various days in your planner. Commit to pray for that person on that day when it arrives.
- Write a list of people to encourage and pray for as a part of your weekly planning.
- Assign a different day of the week to different groups to pray for.
2. Prayer Book
- Make a flip book of names and prayer needs on index cards.
- Create a prayer album using photos of people you want to pray for.
- Create a “book” from your Christmas Cards and pray through the families at regular intervals.
- Use the church directory or your address book to pray for others.
3. Prayer Device
- Use a prayer app like Echo.
- Keep a list of people to pray for in the notes on your phone.
- Use the photos on your phone to help you pray for others.
- Pray through your contact list or your followers on social media.
4. Traveling Prayer
- Pray for each house and business you pass as you travel to work each day.
- Pray for your neighbors as you walk, bike, or drive through the neighborhood.
- Pray for towns as you travel through.
- Pray for other passengers on your bus, train, or plane.
- Pray for the people you sit beside at stoplights.
“We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers.”
1 Thessalonians 1:2
by wendy | Jul 8, 2020 | Encouragement, Encouragement For Your Heart, Focus on God, Godly Relationships, Trusting God
Our Sunday school lesson yesterday was about the Woman at the Well (John 4:4-26). I have come to love this account because of the way it highlights the kindness of God as He chooses the most broken, the most rejected, the least likely of all to spread the news of who He is! This time, as I taught this passage to our youth, I was reminded of His grace – that He would love us and pursue us in our ugliness but doesn’t’ leave us that way. Through His son, He equips us for a life of royalty and service for Him and with Him.
“Because Jesus is about transformation, about finding us just the way we are, but not leaving us that way.”
Zach Hunt Blog
Also this week, our Pastor preached on a portion of Ephesians – about how God gives us pastors and teachers to equip us (Ephesians 4:11-12). Later, I did a little word study on the word equip and found that the Greek word “katartizó” means to prepare or perfect for one’s full destination or use; to bring into one’s proper condition.
It wan’t until I was reviewing the sermon this morning that I recognized the connection between these two teachings. Just as He pursued the Samaritan woman, Jesus pursues us out of his love for us and prepares and perfects us for the good work He has for us to do. In this – the preparing and perfecting, the equipping – He gives us purpose and value, and in turn we encourage and equip others. What a beautiful cycle!
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10
I love word study (I use the Hebrew and Greek Lexicon from biblehub.com) and I decided to follow all the links I could find there to see what Scripture says about how God equips us. Here is a bit of what I discovered:
God equips us through Himself
Submit yourself to God and stand firm in your faith – He promises to restore and equip you.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
1 Peter 5:10
God equips us through pastors and teachers
My husband is a coach, and he looks forward to practice because he really wants his players to be well trained. Our pastors and teachers are the same way – they long to encourage and equip us – they want us to be successful in our Christian lives.
“Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.”
1 Thessalonians 3:10
God equips us through other believers
As believers – as people who live in the Spirit – we are to restore and equip other believers by leading them to the Word, praying for and with them, and encouraging them in the Lord.
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.”
Galatians 6:1
God equips us through ourselves
While restoration and equipping ultimately comes through God, we are to participate in the process. As we dig into the Word, spend time talking to God in prayer, and join a body of other believers, we are prepared and perfected.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”
2 corinthians 13:11
I love how this verse reminds of that God is a God of peace! May you find peace as you pursue his preparation and perfecting.
“Now may the God of peace… equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.”
Hebrews 13:20-21
