Take the Initiative
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with encouraging words for you today.
And the best word of encouragement I can give is from 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5, verse 11. Listen to this: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Now I want you to catch something about this verse. In the same breath, the Holy Spirit wants us to encourage one another as we build each other up. Please don’t think that to build others up means to offer them empty words of flattery, or to compliment them for self-gain. No, when the Bible talks about building others up, it means blessing them and commending them on Christ-like behavior or to join with them in extending the love of Christ. When we do this, we are building others up in the Lord, and there’s nothing empty or hollow about that.
Like the other night, my husband Ken really, really warmed my heart when he hugged me and said, “Joni, you may not be able to wash my shirts, but I just want you to know that I really feel your support.” Oh my goodness, Ken considers encouragement to be one of the best ingredients in our marriage. And it’s not because I tell him he’s a nice guy or a great fly fisherman or a great husband. Like the time he was a teacher, and he was a faculty advisor for student government at his school. And he had to organize an awards banquet. Now these were his students, not mine. In fact, I only knew the names of one or two of his top students. But I decided that at the banquet, I would not sit on the sidelines and just smile when he looked my way. No, I made a point of wheeling to each table and introducing myself to the parents of all his students. It was a special ministry to his kids I think, but mostly, as Ken told me later, it was such an encouragement to him. He could see I had taken a big step in participating in his world, showing interest in the things and people that he was interested in. Later on, when I congratulated him, he knew that I meant it.
I do the same thing when he organizes his fly fishing trips up to Montana every summer. Over the year, he gathers the names of men who express an interest in going with him. True they’re all Christians for the most part, but still, I learn their names and pray for them for weeks leading up to the fly fishing adventure. Ken could not help but notice this leading up to his most recent fishing trip, and again, in the van when he caught me praying for all those men, he told me how encouraged he was to have me pray for those guys. Why? Because I was participating in his world; he saw me join him in the effort. And he told me that it inspired him to do more of the same, to pray more for each of those guys. Encouragement that builds people up is the kind that is not content to sit on the sidelines at a polite distance. No, body-building encouragement will always, always roll up its sleeves and put words into action.
The lesson here is: when you give encouragement to your spouse or to a friend, give more than pleasant words. Take the initiative. Be creative. Go the extra mile and look for unusual ways of supporting your loved one in his or her efforts, or hobbies, or their work. With up-close and personal encouragement like that, you will be doing more than lifting spirits; you’ll be helping to build another’s faith in Christ. Hey, why don’t you visit my Facebook page today and tell me how you are building up your friends and family members. Don’t sit on the sidelines; tell me all about it. Give body-building encouragement that strengthens others in Jesus Christ! Do that today at joniandfriend.org/radio. Again, just visit my Facebook page and tell me what you’re doing about “body-building”. Visit joniandfriends.org to tweet today’s program to your friends.
© Joni and Friends
