Encouragement

This post isn't going to be terribly deep, I'm afraid. However, it's something that's been on my heart for a while, and I think it's something that we could all improve on in some way or another. You each know from personal experience what a good dose of encouragement has done for you. When you were feeling really unuseful and someone came up to you and candidly told you something that they really appreciate about you that they've been noticing. Or a time when you've felt really immature and someone let you know that they've seen you grow in a certain area. Or when you thought you did an awful job in some important duty and someone told you how wonderful you were and something that they got out of it. Didn't that just lift your spirits tremendously? Didn't the sun just beam into your heart at that moment? And your next thought was, "Hey, I'll bet he needs encouragement just as much as I do. Let me go tell him about this one thing that I really appreciate him for!" right? Nope! I've found that some of the people who are the most faithful encouragers get forgotten all too often. I remember once I told one of those kinds of people how much I appreciated a little habit of theirs and they almost fell over with shock because no one had ever told them that before. Another similar type of people that get forgotten are the really well-liked people. Everyone just assumes that they get encouraged alot because they are always surrounded by people, but if everyone assumes that, who's encouraging them? No one! The fact is, well-liked people, at least in the church, are well-liked because of what they do for other people. They are always giving of their time and their heart and their resources and have learned to never expect anything in return. They need kind and uplifting words as much as the next person! They need to know that someone else does care, not just because of how they can benefit them. For myself, I noticed that I forget my family alot. My parents are older and wiser than me and so of course they don't need MY encouragement. I mean, what good would praise from a foolish little kid do  THEM??? Well... alot more than the foolish little kid might think. And then there's my brother. I'm sure everyone has at least one sibling you think so annoying that you don't want to give them any encouragement. It's hard for me to remember that regardless of how much you think someone doesn't DESERVE any good words, they need them nonetheless, and real love will be able to say something uplifting to them with honesty and without reluctance. So, my point in this is, how much encouragement have you been giving? Is it sincere? And who in your life have you been neglecting in this area? Is it because you just don't think they need any encouragement, or because you are hesitant to give it to them? We are the church. We are to build one another up in love, and that won't happen if we don't do it ourselves. Don't wait until you suddenly find a brother or sister who is completely torn up because they feel unloved and useless. No member of the bride of Christ should ever have to reach that point. Let them know the truth before Satan has a chance to lie to them.