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Tuesday, April 04, 2006

A Time to Encourage

One of the lessons I’ve learned in life is that when you’re lacking something spiritual you probably need to be giving it out.

I feel this palpable lack of encouragement lately which unfortunately begins to lay waste to much of my outside life. I can feel and see when it’s happening because I get a little more cranky and a little less forgiving and a little more busy and a little less “stop and smell the flowers”.

Thankfully I am also at a point in my life where I can see this is happening and WHY it is happening, therefore I am also enabled to stop it in its tracks. I know that for me, one of the gifts God has given me is the gift of exhortation/encouragement. I love to encourage people in their God-given dreams and goals and just in everyday life. Frankly, it’s much like many of the “spiritual gifts”, we all have a level of them and know it’s something we should all do, but sometimes we just don’t.

Here is the jump I have to make. In order to feel the blessings that already surround me I literally have to take down my box of cards and stamps and pens and stickers and all the “pretty embellishments” (if you don’t live in the south, you may not understand the vital importance of embellishing things). I have to pray to God to speak to me about who to send a card to and what to say and then I have to write it out and send it. Out of this simple act of obedience and desire, I begin to ‘perk up’. I suppose it may sound silly to some people but honestly for me, this is how it works.

I don’t know if it’s the particular scripture God leads me to, or if it’s just the act of writing the words or what…but as I sit there writing to these women, God has appointed, I begin to feel so good about where I am and what God has done for me lately!

Tonight I will take down my box of cards, pens, stamps and embellishments and I will pray and write and send out these cards.


Today I will remember:
“I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding, and have the knowledge of God's mystery--Christ. In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.” Colossians 2:2-3

Happy Tuesday!

12 comments:

Diane Viere said...

What a beautiful post. You have encouraged me!

Diane

II Corinthians 1: 4

GiBee said...

Okay, so ... do you want my address, or do you already have it?

And don't leave off a single embellishment, because while I live on the "edge of the south" right at the border of the Mason-Dixon line (the southern side, of course), I still consider myself southern, and dooooo love embellishments.

kpjara said...

Good Grief GiBee....You crack me up! If you don't already do Stand-up (Christian only) you better get on it and send me your engagements...I'm going to be the heckler in the back, all dressed in black!

kpjara said...

forgot 1 thing: If I had your address you would get the most embellished card with the most endearing words you could imagine...you'd have to frame it and build a little 'embellishment' shrine and that would just get in the way of your son's future artwork...so...I'll use my word embellishments on you every once in awhile...

Unknown said...

People in the northern part of the country love embellishments too. Just not in our hair or in our make-up cases. Heehee.

GiBee said...

Uh, yeah ... I think I'll pass on the Stand-up thing... You'll see why tomorrow.

kpjara said...

Okay Karen,in the hair it's no longer called embellishment, it's called enhancement and make-up 'embellishments' are known as improvements! Bad girl, bad!

and GiBee, unless you're going to tell me you have to spend the rest of your life in a convent (which is HIGHLY unlikely since you have a son and that will be mighty hard to explain, not to mention the hubbie) you will always have the ability to make others laugh!

Heather Smith said...

Beautiful post! I love those verses. Thanks for reminding me that I'm to point others to Christ in all that I do.

Anonymous said...

You know, that was a beautiful post. I love how open you are to the Spirit and willing to do what He asks of you. I should try this sometime. Thanks.

someone else said...

There's just this comedy routine going on in the comment section of several blogs. GiBee and Stand-up....sounds good to me!

On the more serious side, kpjara, go over to my blog and read about Balcony People. It's on encouraging. You're on a good track and you might enjoy the read.

kpjara said...

Morning Glory,

I loved the post about Balcony People and being a reader of all books; good and not-so-good, I'm going to get that book and learn even more I'm certain!

Thank you.

Shalee said...

Just do it! I love that slogan. It is basically what God is often trying to say to us. "Don't worry about all the details of the hows or the reactions; just trust in me and do _____."

Save a seat for me at Gibee's stand-up. I want to heckle too!