Lately I have reminded myself that in the action of love comes loving the Lord, loving others and bringing value to those around me. How can we be an encouragement to those around us? What exactly is encouragement and how can we share it?
Webster defines encouragement in this manner: The act of giving courage, or confidence of success; incitement to action or to practice.
We’ve all been there – giving courage to the child who is learning to ride his bike or showing him how he can swim. We know how to give them the confidence to finish a math test with an A+. We certainly all have our ways of getting them excited to clean their rooms or to practice their music. But how do we take this definition into a spiritual light and give them all the building tools to lead a successful life? How do we encourage them to be successful? I have a few areas I think we can encourage them in.
ENCOURAGEMENT IN SALVATION
Do you remember a time when you realized that without accepting Christ as your Savior, you would be lost for eternity? Have you shared this testimony of God’s grace with your child? Did you let them know the Scriptures that say “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”? (Romans 3:23) Salvation is such an important step in encouraging our child to have a successful life. A life that is sure of eternity will be confident here are earth.
ENCOURAGEMENT IN SHARING THE GOSPEL
Once our child is saved and as he is encouraged in his salvation to live for God, let us help him share this wonderful news with others. Our lives here on earth are meant to live in glory to our Creator. Without Him we are nothing and so don’t you want to have great success in leading your friends, your family, your neighbors to the Lord?
Encourage your child to share the gospel by giving them the tools needed. We are teaching our children verse after verse each morning in our family devotions. These verses that we have memorized give encouragement to someone who is lost to accept their sinful state and seek God’s forgiveness. My children have the tools needed to see their friends and people they work with come to the Lord. Encouragement in sharing the gospel can start with even just learning what the gospel is…in a nutshell.
ENCOURAGEMENT IN SERVING OTHERS
One last way we can ensure our children have successful lives is to encourage them to serve others. I grew up in a pastor’s home where we learned early on to serve others. We always were serving around the church whether by playing the piano (I started at the age of 12 playing for the congregational singing because my dad had a need for a piano player.), working on the bus ministry, signing for deaf people that walked through the door, babysitting in the nursery or even just greeting people and letting them know their worth.
Serving others not only encourages the person you are serving but it will encourage you as well. Get your child involved in your local church, to start with. Encourage them in the smallest of tasks to start with and build them up as they serve others. Any child can give a smile to a sad friend or help a neighbor put their trash out. I think I Peter 4:10 sums it up well, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
I’d rather be an encourager and put a smile on someone’s face today. Teach your child the little acts of kindness and share with them the joy of being an encouragement. Remind them Who is on their side!
