Today I’d like to share an excerpt with you from Charles Swindoll’s book Encouragement for Life. If you haven’t had a chance to check out this book yet, you can learn more by clicking here. It’s one of my favorites. It captures so many longings of the heart and provides great Biblical advice and encouragement.
All of us need encouragement – somebody to believe in us. To reassure and reinforce us. To help us pick up the pieces and go on. To provide us with increased determination in spite of the odds. . . .
When we encourage others we spur them on, we stimulate and affirm them. It is helpful to remember the distinction between appreciation and affirmation. We appreciate what a person does, but we affirm who a person is. Appreciation comes and goes because it is usually related to something someone accomplishes. Affirmation goes deeper. It is directed to the person himself or herself. While encouragement would encompass both, the rarer of the two is affirmation. To be appreciated, we get the distinct impression that we must earn it by some accomplishment. But affirmation requires no such prerequisite. This means that even when we don’t earn the right to be appreciated (because we failed to succeed or because we lacked the accomplishment of some goal), we can still be affirmed – indeed, we need it then more than ever.
I do not care how influential or secure or mature a person may appear to be, genuine encouragement never fails to help. Most of us need massive doses of it.
Leave a comment and tell about a time when you needed encouragement – genuine affirmation and not just appreciation. Did you receive that encouragement? Did it come from the Lord directly? Or did it come through a person in your life? What can you do this week to encourage someone?
As Christians, we know we should be grateful for everything that comes our way. We know that “every good and perfect gift” comes from God (James 1:17). But I find that it becomes far too easy to believe that I have a spirit of gratitude, while in the daily grind I’m full of bitter complaints and ingratitude. Sometimes it’s necessary to really think on those things we have to be grateful for and to call them out by name.
So here are a few things I’m thinking about today that I’m thankful for:
- My salvation. I’m grateful for God’s love. I don’t deserve it, but somehow He calls me His own. I’m grateful that He sent His Son to take my place as a sacrifice for my sins.
- My husband. He is a constant source of support and a tangible manifestation of God’s love for me. I’m grateful for his steadfast kindness, his strength, his humility, and his passion for life.
- My friends. It’s so good to have friends who I can relax with, who help me to forget about the stresses of the day, who lend an ear when I need one and who trust me to lend an ear when they need one.
- My dog. She’s a quirky goofball who usually manages to make my smile when everything else is going wrong. (Unless, of course, she’s misbehaving that day!)
- My family. We may have our ups and downs, but the long-term love of my family is a sustaining force in my life. I’m grateful for all that I’ve seen God do in their lives and for the ways they’ve overcome many difficult circumstances.
- My job. Though it can be stressful juggling so many tasks, I love talking about faith with all of you! I love that I don’t wake up in the morning dreading coming to work. I love that I’m working for a company I can stand behind and believe in.
What are some things you’re thankful for today?
To celebrate Resurrection weekend, for the first time ever, Inspired Faith is having a storewide sale!
Stock up on gift books and framed inspirations for anyone in your life who needs a visual reminder of God’s power and love. All of our products, including new books and frames will be on sale for $12 each, plus receive free shipping on orders of $50 or more.
First off, I want to thank everyone again for the encouraging words and support of all of us at Inspired Faith. I’m so glad that we can be a part of turning your gaze to Jesus each day and pray that our books, products, newsletters, devotionals, and social media sites will continue to uplift you. As always, I appreciate your suggestions and comments, so don’t hesitate to contact us. You can use the “Contact Us” section of the blog or send an email directly to me at feedback@inspiredfaith.com.
Today more than ever, we need daily inspiration. We need to be encouraged not with a false sense of hope but with a set of real answers and a solid foundation of truth.
Too often our days are filled with a variety of different thoughts, feelings and emotions that keep us from receiving the best that God has for us.
At the end of the day, we look back searching for the “what ifs” – questions that tend to leave an emptiness inside of us. We’re searching for hope—the kind that delivers encouragement for the soul.
So where are you at this moment in your life? Are you living with God’s love, embracing His grace, claiming victory in all things or caught up in too many of life’s challenges that it has stripped away your purpose and joy for living?
There’s not a clear right or wrong answer. The most important action is how you allow God to fill your life with the kind of hope and encouragement that restores and grows your faith each day.
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17 NIV
My hope for you (and for your circle of friends and family) is that Inspired Faith becomes your inspirational source not only for you but as a gift for you to share with others.
How can you inspire others today?
