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With the many pressures and stresses that people go through on a daily
basis, they sometimes need a word of encouragement to let them know that
all will be well in the end. What we must remember is that in life all we
have is the love of our friends and family. We are each other's backbone
and when one of us is in need, we should be quick to lend a helping hand
and reassure them that they have our support for whatever they may need.
It is easy for anyone to feel down or discouraged when the weight of the
world seems to be laying on their shoulders, but if they know that others
care about their well-being and wish to help carry their burden, they will
feel a lot less stress and they will know how greatly loved they truly are.
No matter what we go through in life, we can use a word of encouragement
to lift up our spirits. Whether they are financial problems, relationship
problems, health issues or stress from difficult situations, we can do our
part to lighten the load of those who mean the most to us. We can let
them know that every bump in the road serves a purpose and every trial
that comes our way will make us better than we were before it. We can
encourage those who are heavy laden to never give up and always believe
that they will overcome any situation and be better in the end because of
that hardship. Let us always be quick to encourage the downhearted and
show them that their glass is not half empty, but rather it is more than
half full and on its way to overflowing. A negative situation is never
made better by dwelling on it, but rather that situation can be used to
elevate our life to greater heights when we use our energy to see the good
that can come from that situation.
I encourage you to be quick to lift other's up, to shed light on a dark
situation and to bring encouragement to those who need to be ministered
to. All that we have learned and witnessed throughout our life can be
used to minister grace to those around us and to let them know that we
love them and will be there for them no matter what comes their way. The
Lord Jesus says it best in Luke 6:30 “And as ye would that men should do
to you, do ye also to them likewise.”
I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to be the catalyst
in helping others see that they can overcome, that they can do better than
they've done before and most importantly that a new beginning is always
possible.
NEEDING A NUDGE
A wiser person than I once said that humans have four basic needs. One is
the need to be nurtured. Next is the need to be needed. Third, the need to
be noticed. And finally, the need to be nudged.
Although I never had much luck nudging my own children, I've often thought
of a story about a small boy who could not be nudged to quit banging a
drum. Various attempts were made to do something about quieting the child.
One person told the boy that he would, if he continued to make so much
noise, perforate his eardrums. This reasoning was too advanced for the
child, who was neither a scientist nor a scholar.
A second person told him that drum beating was a sacred activity and
should be carried out only on special occasions. A third person offered
the neighbors plugs for their ears; a fourth gave the boy a book; a fifth
gave the neighbors books that described a method of controlling anger
through biofeedback; a sixth person gave the boy meditation exercises to
make him placid and docile. None of these attempts worked.
Eventually, a wise person came along with an effective motivation. He
looked at the situation, handed the child a hammer and chisel, and asked,
“I wonder what is INSIDE the drum?”
No more problem.
I agree that we sometimes need to be nudged. At times, we may need to be
nudged into healthier behaviors. Or maybe nudged out of destructive
relationships or patterns. Or simply nudged to think a little bigger; to
do or be a something more challenging and less mediocre.
No doubt, that is why the motivational industry is so successful. (And no,
it is probably not true that if you listen to your motivational tapes
backwards you will become a failure. I think a couple of you may have been
worried about that.)
It seems to me that good leaders know about this basic human need to be
prodded, challenged and encouraged. They also know that the best way to
nudge someone is often simply to invite them along a path that is more
appealing than the one they've chosen. The best leaders teach us to dream
and tempt us to do more than we ever thought possible. They challenge us
to be a part of something great.
Writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, “If you want to build a ship, don't
drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead,
teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” Sometimes all we need
is a nudge to desire something magnificent.
Is this the nudge you need?
By Steve Goodier
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
1 John 4:20-21 “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a
liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love
God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he
who loveth God love his brother also.”
1 John 4:7-11 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and
every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not
knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God
toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that
we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that
He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved,
if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus says, “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,
'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You
drink? 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe
You? 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the
King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you
did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'”
Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus declares, “You are the light of the world. A city
that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it
under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in
the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem82.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: ANGELS IN THE ROOM
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony84.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry |
