You’re
Doing Great
By Lexi Ellis
“But encourage one
another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be
hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Hebrews 3:13
With
the wedding days away, I found myself in the middle of final details. In the
midst of overwhelming moments, I often verbally processed the details with my
mom and my future mother-in-law. While my fiancé (now husband) was the
emotional support I needed, my moms were my “detail support” to help figure
things out.
Many
times, my mother-in-law said, “You’re doing great.” Other times, my mom would
hug me when I needed it most. In those moments, I was reminded how blessed I am
to have a relationship with our two moms, who are such godly encouragers.
I
don’t write this to exclusively brag about my moms. But in the middle of the
stress, I realized how empowering and helpful those three little words are, and
how de-stressing a hug is.
This
isn’t rocket science theology. But the simple truth of encouraging others is
incredibly spiritual. For one thing, God is the Supreme Encourager. In the Old
Testament, Scripture says God hears us and encourages us.[1] In
the New Testament, Scripture says God “gives endurance and encouragement.”[2] In
addition, Christ lived a life that was full of encouraging. Think through what
you know about His life: How He cared for and served others, saw beyond their
present sin, told them who they really are, spoke to their hearts’ deepest
longings, touched the untouchable.
Encouragement
is also spiritual because, in His Word, God calls us to encourage others. Part
of Paul’s intent in writing the letter to the Ephesian church was to encourage
them.[3]
Paul tells the Corinthian church to “strive for full restoration, encourage
one another, be of one mind, live in peace.”[4]
And in our verse today, its writer tells Christians to encourage daily,
implying that the absence of active encouragement may contribute to a poor
heart condition.
Despite
God’s obvious value placed on encouraging and the call in Scripture for us to be
encouragers, I am not always seeking out opportunities to encourage others. My
challenge? To intentionally search daily to build others up. For me, each night
I’ve been trying to ask myself how I’ve encouraged others that day. Christ
constantly thought of others. What a privilege it is to actively do the same
and become more like Him. I’m so thankful for the intentionality both my moms
have in encouraging me, and I’m glad it’s a reminder to actively do the same.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
Before the day gets busy, pray about whom you can encourage. Then go do it!
2.
Challenge yourself to be an “active encourager” each day.
FURTHER
READING:
Lexi is a new wife,
serves with Children’s Ministries at Oakwood, and is a fourth grade teacher at
Lake Country Christian Academy.
