Encourage #1
I wonder whether you think that you are gifted or not?
The other week we went to spend the weekend with the English contingent of my family. Mum had prepared a room for us [of course] and on the chair she left a pile of stuff for me to decide what to do with. Included in this pile were all of my school reports! I was bemused as to why they had been kept since they weren’t that great, despite this I was fascinated by how it contradicted my memory. I always remember not being very good at art; I was never able to really achieve or express what I wanted to – very frustrating. However, according to my reports, the Art teacher thought that I was naturally talented and was able to express my ideas sensitively. She wrote the same thing year after year and yet I never remember any of this, I just remember thinking how untalented I was.
This made me realise that often we are so critical (or self-depreciating) that we fail to recognise our strengths. I mean you may forget how good a cook you are even though people love coming over to yours for a meal. Or you don’t think you are very funny, being as you are crap with jokes, but friends enjoy spending time with you because there will always be laughter and smiles.
There is now a whole band of people in Newport who are now writing for the Fusion Devotional books and many of them have told me how they were never very good at English. Despite this they eloquently share what God has done in their lives (I only have to edit them slightly/dramatically just to get the word count to fit the page but they are all amazing). Despite this none of these people will think of themselves as ‘writers’… but they are! Every one of them are published authors. They are also much more than this:
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is… encouraging, let him encourage.” (Rom 12:6,8 NIV)
Each of them, in their writing, have demonstrated a gift of encouraging – it just flows out of them. Think about it; when you read the last Fusion Devotional were you encouraged? I was; they encouraged and inspired me. My faith grew because of the words that flowed out of their heart, words overflowing from their [Heavenly] Father’s heart.
Is ‘encouragement’ one of your giftings?
You may not think so. Maybe you’ve never said anything to anyone, but even your faithfulness has probably encouraged someone. I know this guy who loves to serve in the church; he’s not great at it, and he sometimes frustrates me, but he loves to serve and that encourages me to serve more out of love and not talent!
If you have been encouraged, then encourage.
Tell someone how they have inspired, helped or encouraged you; don’t assume they know, because they don’t. Or perhaps write to them [a postcard will do, or even an e-mail] and let them know.
The other week we went to spend the weekend with the English contingent of my family. Mum had prepared a room for us [of course] and on the chair she left a pile of stuff for me to decide what to do with. Included in this pile were all of my school reports! I was bemused as to why they had been kept since they weren’t that great, despite this I was fascinated by how it contradicted my memory. I always remember not being very good at art; I was never able to really achieve or express what I wanted to – very frustrating. However, according to my reports, the Art teacher thought that I was naturally talented and was able to express my ideas sensitively. She wrote the same thing year after year and yet I never remember any of this, I just remember thinking how untalented I was.This made me realise that often we are so critical (or self-depreciating) that we fail to recognise our strengths. I mean you may forget how good a cook you are even though people love coming over to yours for a meal. Or you don’t think you are very funny, being as you are crap with jokes, but friends enjoy spending time with you because there will always be laughter and smiles.
There is now a whole band of people in Newport who are now writing for the Fusion Devotional books and many of them have told me how they were never very good at English. Despite this they eloquently share what God has done in their lives (I only have to edit them slightly/dramatically just to get the word count to fit the page but they are all amazing). Despite this none of these people will think of themselves as ‘writers’… but they are! Every one of them are published authors. They are also much more than this:
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is… encouraging, let him encourage.” (Rom 12:6,8 NIV)
Each of them, in their writing, have demonstrated a gift of encouraging – it just flows out of them. Think about it; when you read the last Fusion Devotional were you encouraged? I was; they encouraged and inspired me. My faith grew because of the words that flowed out of their heart, words overflowing from their [Heavenly] Father’s heart.
Is ‘encouragement’ one of your giftings?
You may not think so. Maybe you’ve never said anything to anyone, but even your faithfulness has probably encouraged someone. I know this guy who loves to serve in the church; he’s not great at it, and he sometimes frustrates me, but he loves to serve and that encourages me to serve more out of love and not talent!
If you have been encouraged, then encourage.
Tell someone how they have inspired, helped or encouraged you; don’t assume they know, because they don’t. Or perhaps write to them [a postcard will do, or even an e-mail] and let them know.
-Andrew Carey
posted by Andrew at 8:35 am
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