Encouragement can be a Powerful tool of Communication and Affirmation

The picture you see is from a Phi Theta Kappa meeting at Forsyth Tech Community College.  These are my fellow members of the honor society.

If you look carefully at the faces in this picture you will see a representation of many ethnics groups, socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, languages, and style. Do you know what these people share?

They share a common belief that if they pursue an education for whatever purpose, it will create a better life or opportunity in life for them.  It doesn't matter their age, religious persuasion, bank account, health, color, or whatever quantifying criteria one can use.

Each person is an encourager.  You see encouragement is one of those traits that is efficacious and contagious.  There is nothing like hearing someone tell you that you can accomplish what you are attempting to do.  Encouragement is a spiritual gift and it's a blessing.  Encouragement is also a choice.

You see, we live in the "hater age," where there are those individuals who aren't particularly happy when you try to do better than you are doing, as if doing better was only for a "select few."  Newsflash, anyone can do better today than yesterday.  The bible says that a just man falls seven times but God will help him stand.  I was paraphrasing the content, but you get the picture.

It doesn't matter how far you have fallen or if you just fell, anyone can get back up and dare to change their stars.  If you watched the movie, "A Knight's Tale," starring the late Heath Ledger, here was a line in the movie that I use:  "You can change your stars." 

You see before anyone was rich, famous, infamous, wealthy, popular or anything they were just an unknown little pea in the bowl like everyone else.  Then they dared to dream.  

Along the way of those dreams, people shouted to them "you can do it!"  We all need that in life.  And, we all need to tell someone else that too.  YOU CAN DO IT.  I BELIVE IN YOU.  HEY MAN/WOMAN DON'T GIVE UP.  DUDE SOMETHING GOOD IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.  MAN YOU'RE BLESSED.

Doesn't it feel good just to read those few sayings that I wrote?  Well, that is what encouragement does.  It's a spiritual law and it works!  Be an encourager in life.  The bible says there is a cloud of witnesses shouting us all the way home.  I hope your life is filled with supportive people who encourage you along the way, and maybe just maybe you can encourage someone too.