The past two days, my morning devotional readings were on the subject of encouragement. Specifically, they were focused on the value of being and encourager. At first, I found myself walking away from the readings saying to myself, “That’s nice. It is a good idea to encourage others,” but honestly, I was not very moved by what I read. Little did I know, those readings were changing my attention and the direction of my thoughts.

I began pondering the people who have been an encouragement to me. I thought of my family who have stood by my in my successes and failures, who prayed for me when I was wandering from God and who helped me discern God’s direction in my life. I thought of my grandfather who showed me great love and inspired much of my personal faith in God. I also thought of my uncle who helped me discern and refine my call to ministry, and my mom, who still encourages me and brags about her son. Of course, I could not miss the great support I receive from my wife and children who make my life beautiful. Whenever I am feeling unsure of what to do, I hear my wife saying, “You can do it. You can do anything.”

I reflected on my college professor and advisor, who taught me one of the greatest lessons of my academic career. I went to his office to complain because a classmate received a grade similar to mine when I had done so much more work on the project than he had. He smiled and said, “Well Mr. Smith, I don’t expect the same things from him that I expect from you.” I didn’t like the answer then, but now it comes to me frequently as a gentle word from God reminding me to offer my best.

I looked again at the file folder in my office and the similar one I keep at home, in which I keep cards of encouragement from people I minister to. It was heartwarming to see the places where I touched the lives of those around me and reaffirmed why I do what I do.

By now, you might think that I completely missed the message of the devotionals I read with my attention focused on how much I appreciated the encouragement, instead of being challenged to be an encourager, but my experience was quite the opposite. The more I considered the blessing of being encouraged, the more I felt the urge to offer that blessing to others. When I thought about how the words and actions of others helped me to follow God’s path and live with hope and passion, when I considered how my encouragers helped me overcome difficult times in my own journey, I became excited by the possibility of helping others do the same.

As we approach this Third Sunday of Lent, remembering Jesus who gave his life in order that we might have life, may we all be challenged to offer a part of ourselves to others to encourage them with the same encouragement we receive from Christ, and those who bless us in his name.

Now, it is time to go find a way to encourage someone else…