Who are You Encouraging?
Be An Encourager
Who are You Encouraging?
One of the few books of the bible I love is II Timothy, a letter from the Apostle Paul to his younger companion and protégé, Timothy.
Timothy and Paul traveled together and were trusted companions. Paul was a veteran in the Christian faith and Timothy was a young colleague responsible for multiple churches. In this letter, written from a Roman prison, Paul writes to Timothy in Ephesus to encourage him in his role as a leader in the faith.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. II Timothy 2:15-16
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth. II Timothy 2:22-26
And how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. II Timothy 2:15
If I were to translate some of Paul’s words to Timothy, I could hear Paul saying, “I know the people in the church want you to do what they tell you to do and nothing else. They are crazy and can make you lose faith in your call but remember, you are made for this work; hearing the word as a young child. Your work is not in vain. Be encouraged!”
This duo is a perfect example of a mentor/mentee relationship. It warms my heart and challenges me.
It warms my heart to see the care Paul has with words as he pens this letter to his friend. He sees Timothy and knows what he needs to hear to keep him steadfast in preaching the gospel and growing the church in Ephesus. His words are straight forward and filled with care. Paul’s confidence in Timothy is revealed in this letter.
II Timothy challenges me because I am reminded of the circumstances Paul was in at the time; he was in a prison expecting to die. This is the state Paul was in but felt the importance of writing this letter to young Timothy to keep him encouraged in doing the important work he was called to do.
I ask myself, “Amy, who have you encouraged on your journey?” Although, I have never been imprisoned like Paul, I have been locked in dark seasons in my life. Then I was not inclined to send a word of hope to someone else; I wanted a word of hope.
Through life, our instinct is to keep our head down, stay focused on our goals and keep working to be the best we can be for ourselves and family. Yet, I bet while we are looking down, we are missing people standing in front of us seeking a kind word of encouragement in this harsh world that makes it hard for some to keep going. We all have an encouraging word to share.
I am guilty of looking down and missing opportunities to mentor, share, or encourage someone in my space. But as I continue to live, I feel that reminder that I can encourage someone. Our youth are limited in what they can learn in schools. Some of the nuances of life are not taught in the classroom but can be learned from someone who has a vast life experience.
One of my insecurities is not having a college degree and thinking that I couldn’t have success without it. Yet, I had a fruitful and awesome career in the hospitality industry without a degree. In 2020, I began a career as a communicator and writer. Many times I share that story with young people who feel limited in their options or feel they are stuck. I share my journey to encourage them to learn the ways to maneuver roadblocks and to keep moving forward despite them.
In recent years, I find hope as I look to wiser friends and colleagues who I can nurture relationships with to be able to share and learn from them. As I desire to reach goals and get more out of life, I can watch them, mimic their actions or traits, and ask questions. And they share back with me the good and bad that I need to hear for me to learn.
We all have seasons to be the encouraged and to be the encourager. Look up or you’ll miss a chance to be the hope someone is searching for or the opportunity to find the hope you need.
