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The Gift of Encouragement
by Clyde M. Narramore
Tom was all smiles as his high school English teacher handed him his corrected assignment.
“This is excellent work,” it read.
Tom glanced at the remark several times, then carefully put it in his notebook. After class the teacher said, “Tom, you are a very good student and you’re going to go a long way in life. Have you considered going to college?”
Up until this year, Tom had been on a starvation diet as far as encouragement was concerned. Coming from a dysfunctional family, he was shuffled back and forth from one home to another. Much of his time in high school had been spent hanging around with a gang of near delinquents and underachievers. The farthest thing from his mind was going to college. But this year he had an English teacher who never failed to encourage him.
The years passed, and Tom is now married, has a family, and—wouldn’t you know it—is a college English professor. “As I look back,” Tom says, “I attribute my success to that high school teacher. When she first began to encourage me, I felt happy and a little embarrassed. No one had ever encouraged me like that, and before the year was over, I felt like I was really worth something and that somehow I would like to go to college.”
Encouragement—one of the most important things in life! It lifts us above a mundane existence and reveals exciting possibilities. It helps us through difficult times. And it challenges us to be all that we were created to be!
Each day we hear or read about great athletes, fine musicians, talented artists, successful businessmen, and prominent politicians. We watch them on TV and read about them in magazines. And I suppose we’ve all wished we, too, could be the best in some field. But have you ever considered being a “star” encourager? The New Testament records the activities of such a man. His name is Barnabas, which means “Son of Encouragement.”
 The apostles sent a letter to the
Gentiles in Antioch: and when
they read it, they rejoiced
over its encouragement.
One day an elderly woman, recently widowed and alone, was deeply discouraged. She sought out her pastor’s wife for counseling. After listening compassionately for some time, the pastor’s wife who often counseled and encouraged people said, “I think I can help you, but you will have to promise to do the simple thing I’ll ask of you in this envelope.” After much discussion and her assurance that the “prescription” in the envelope would neither hurt her nor anyone else, she opened the sealed envelope. The note simply said, “Go to the nearest nursery and choose your favorite flower seeds. Raise enough flowers to be able to give a small bouquet to at least one member of your church each week who is sick, in despair, or who just needs a little encouragement.”
Doubtful of the effectiveness, she followed her counselor’s advice. In a few months, she was taking flowers to this one and that one in her church. If you should ask her when her discouragement lifted, she would have a hard time telling you just when. Was it after the first five hugs and grateful thanks? Or the next five? Regardless, she encouraged others, and they encouraged her in return.
You may not be a professional athlete or a trained counselor, but the “encouragement season” is always just beginning, and you are more than eligible to join the team if you wish to become one of the world’s greats!
What Encouragement Does
Encouragement prevents us from giving up. “The apostles sent a letter to the Gentiles in Antioch: and when they read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement” (Acts 15:30).
Have you ever watched a long-distance runner? If so, you’ve noticed the last lap or the “home stretch” is when he picks up the pace and finishes strong while well-wishers are cheering and screaming, even though the runner felt he had “nothing left” just moments before. He gets a new burst of energy. What makes the difference? Training, endurance, and encouragement.
Encouragement is an equally powerful spiritual force in the lives of all who “run the race” for Christ. Encouragement reminds us that we have a “great cloud of witnesses” lining heaven cheering us to finish faithfully just as they have done.
If you have ever received an unexpected phone call from a dear friend which interrupted an evening of loneliness, discouragement, or a frustrating day at work, you know the power of encouragement first-hand. Words of encouragement strengthen hearts weakened by adversity, give us the courage to go on, and remind us that we are not alone—someone cares.
 Continued on Page Two
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