A Little Encouragement Goes a Long Way

There’s a quote from S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, that I really appreciate.  He says:

I think we would all agree that we ourselves need encouragement and it feels good to give encouragement to others around us.  I recently watched the movie The Letter Writer which tells the story of a rebellious and troubled teenager who receives an old-fashioned letter in the mail from an unknown source.  She sets out to find the author and in doing so discovers her own voice and how to use it for her own betterment and those around her.  The letters that are read throughout the movie provide such rich and deep encouragement that it often moves its recipient to tears.  It reminded of this scripture:

The movie got me thinking: how could I more intentionally encourage those around me?  Below are some ideas to consider based on how the letters were written in the movie.

• Write or text a short “noticing you” note

  • Two to three simple sentences could go a long way such as:

  • “I noticed how patient you were today.”

  • “You probably don’t realize this, but your kindness really stands out.”

• Share a memory with someone

  • Sometimes we don’t know how much someone treasures a memory.  Your message could be something along the lines of:            

  • “Do you remember when you helped me with…?  That stuck with me.”

  • “You probably didn’t know this mattered, but it did.”

• Leave anonymous encouragement

  • Leave a note in a library book, tape it to a bathroom mirror or leave it with the tip/receipt at a restaurant.  It could be as simple as:

  • “You are valuable.”

  • “You make the world a better place just by being you.”

  • “I don’t know if anyone has told you lately, but what you do matters.”

• Add a statement of encouragement to communication you’re already sending out

  • Add one encouraging sentence to an email, text or calendar invite such as:

  • “Thanks for your help today – working with you always makes things easier.”

• Write about someone’s strengths

  • We all hear about what we should be doing to improve.  Or we hear about our achievements, but we don’t often receive encouragement about our character (courage, faithfulness, compassion, perseverance).  This could be a statement, “One of your quiet strengths is how you keep going even when no one applauds.”

One simple sentence could change someone’s entire day, week or even life!  We are called to speak life over each other.  Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue can bring death or life.”  Set your mind that you will be the one who speaks life to those around you. 

And may I also take this as an opportunity to speak life over you as well.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  I pray that the words I write encourage, inspire and uplift you.  You matter, you’re important and your life holds significant value.  I’m so glad that I have the honor of your time in reading this and I pray you have a very blessed day ahead!