The Gift Anyone Can Give

With Love, Katie G.
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I scribbled the phrase in black ink for the seventh time, sighed and clasped my hand, stretching it backward.
 
Smiling, I tidied the crisp envelopes into a pile and set them by my purse so they would not be forgotten (like the daily signing of my kids’ agendas).
 
I don’t know when it happened, but at some point stacks of pretty cards on my desk and frequent trips to the post office became the norm.
 
Somewhere in the journey I realized my words held a lot of power. At some point in the throes of motherhood I realized that if I needed someone to cheer me on, then surely others did too.
 
I must admit the words did not come easily, at first. I questioned whether they would be of any value to the person on the receiving end...

Until I started getting responses like, “That verse was just what I needed to hear,” or, “Your card came at just the right time.”
 
Confirmation that these words were hitting on real needs.
 
In that hidden season of motherhood, I realized I could still make a difference, right where I was. The Holy Spirit could and would use me—little, imperfect me--to lift up the people He had placed in my life. To shovel the love of God on them, and push them to be who God created them to be.
 
But He doesn’t just want to use me--He wants to use you, too.

Paul exhorts the church in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 saying, “So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left behind…” (The Message)

The coolest part about God is He could do everything without us, but he chooses us to play a part in His story. There are people in our lives that need hope. And while at times I run short on other resources, the hope of Christ is a well we can draw from that never runs dry. 
 
Whether written or spoken, encouragement is a gift that everyone can give.
All it costs is our attention. 

We must be willing to slow down and be with the people He has placed around us; take note of their giftings; hear their stories; sense their pain, their discouragement; and let the Holy Spirit speak to us and through us. But that can’t happen when we’re rushing from one event to the next.
 
Who, in your life, needs the gift of encouragement today?
A struggling mom?
A grieving co-worker?
A discouraged husband?

Who will you slow down for long enough to hear their heart and allow the Holy Spirit to speak words of life through you?
 
Somebody needs a word to make them brave enough to push through fear.
Somebody needs a hand to pull them from their pit of despair.
Somebody needs to know that they are not alone, to hear the words, “I’m praying for you. I’m with you.”
Somebody needs to know that someone else believes in them.

Be that somebody.
 
Type a text.
Write a card.
​Open your mouth.
Send an e-mail.
Meet for coffee.
 
You are a vessel to get God’s love, hope, and encouragement into the world.
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