Encouragement - a simple thing!

I just cannot get past how important simple things are - things like encouragement.One of my favourite pastoral books by Larry Crabb is called, "Encouragement: The Key to Caring".  It is a great book that helps us understand how encouragement works.The other night at Church Together, Dr Tony Campolo encouraged people to get in touch with their power to make a difference.  Knowing the good doctor as I do, my hunch is that he really wanted to jump off the stage and grab people round the neck and shake them out of their comfort and complacency.  But he didn't; he encouraged us to know the joy of getting out of our safety zones and involved with people less fortunate.A member of the Art Group at St Philips, who displayed high quality work at our Sundowner the other night, was telling me how they have improved as artists over the past four years.  She puts the improvement down to the group’s mutual encouragement of one another.  Painting is risky; people look at what you have done and have their opinions.  Encouragement is the power for growth and perseverance and overcoming.When one of my beautiful daughters is unpacking my shortcomings and hypocrisy, I don't want to respond with encouragement. I want to bring her down.  And when I do, even a little bit, I see the impact of what the opposite of encouragement does.  It is not pretty.Hebrews 10:25 is a favourite verse.  In the middle of social, economic, ethnic and political confusion the writer says to, "not neglect to encourage one another, and do it all the more.....".  To encourage others when it is tough for you is faith in action.Who encourages you?  Who do you encourage?  How do you encourage? What is it that encourages you when you need a boost?Often we think we are encouraging someone but they are not reading it that way.  We have our own languages of encouragement.  What is yours?I can't encourage you if I don't know how.Now, that is worth having a chat about at morning tea today. Find out from someone what really encourages them and then give it to them as a gift, when they least expect it.  Why not start with whoever is giving you the gift of a cuppa after the service today.In the adventureMalcolm