Heart   gift

  

“You are a strong person. You WILL be able to stand up under this. You have strength in the Lord and you will make it through this.”

Perhaps one time or another, all of us have had someone give us encouraging words that kept us going or in fact actually kept us from going under.

As the circumstances got darker and darker, and we were ready to give up, the only thing keeping us going was the echo of these encouraging words in our heart.

Although she is in heaven now, I can remember years ago my friend Louise Schmidt giving me encouraging words just when I needed them, and usually they were over the phone.

I can still visualize her standing straight as a board and hear her confident and almost authoritative voice saying, “You can too make it.”

And that was the end of the matter. When Louise spoke, I knew that was the truth and I had better heed it.

So from experience I know the power of encouraging words. They live on even though the person speaking them might no longer be on this earth.

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up shortly, the idea occurred to me that a great Valentine gift to give someone might be “an encouraging word” gift, a true heart gift.

It’s a gift that doesn’t cost money which allows anyone to give it, whether rich or poor.

It doesn’t take a lot of time searching through stores, and it gives the one giving it as much joy as the one receiving it.

And I guess, best of all, it can be given any time. It doesn’t have to wait until Valentine’s Day.

And to me I have found the Greatest Encourager of all is Jesus. His Book is full of encouraging words. And He asks all of us to continue this “encouraging word” gift to others because I guess He knows how good it is for us.

“So encourage each other and build each other up…” (I Thessalonians 5:11 NLT)

Love in Jesus,

God’s “encouraging” servant,
Liz Ray

Written February 8, 2012