Welcome! I’ve been thinking about encouragement this week. Encouragement is powerful. A little goes a long way, too. Shouting, “You got this!” during a foul shot might help a basketball player make the shot. A teacher looking her student in the eye and saying, “You will understand this soon” could keep a child from giving up.
Knowing someone believes in you means a lot. One bit of encouragement that’s relevant to my day-to-day life happened when I was a freshman in college.
Thiel College required all freshmen to take a college writing class. I was nervous because everyone told me college writing was way harder than high school writing. I figured I’d get bad grades.
Our first assignment was to write a narrative about our first memory of writing. I wrote about how much I hated using fat number two pencils in first grade.
I was a nervous wreck when she handed our papers back. But I was in for a surprise. I’ll never forget what she wrote on the bottom of my paper: “You are a writer. Pleasure to read.”
Wow! That was one of the best days of my life up till then. I’d secretly wanted to become a writer since I was 14, and reading these words from my college professor bolstered my confidence. I ended up graduating with degrees in English and history, hoping to become an historical novelist. That didn’t pan out, but I am a writer now.
My professor’s encouragement was an important page in my life story. I’ll always be grateful to God for giving her the insight and the willingness to tell me that she saw me as a real writer.
Who encouraged you in your life? Are they still alive? Can you write them a thank you note today and tell them how much their words meant to you? It just might encourage them to keep going and not to give up on something or someone. Or maybe you can be an influential encourager in someone else’s life.
Just something to think about. Blessings!