Christian Photographers Community

The Making of an Encourager
2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7

People love encouragers, and the Lord intends that each of His children be one. An encourager is able to stand beside someone else to give hope and the motivation to persevere through difficult times. We are not born with this ability, but we can follow several essential steps in order to become capable of supporting and empathizing with a hurting friend.

First, we must be willing to experience pain. The apostle Paul, who was a great encourager, said that we can reach out to others with the "comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." In order to experience comfort and have it flow through us, we must suffer some heartache. There is power in the touch of a person who has been in the valley. A person who experiences pain does not offer empty words, but hope.

Second, we need to learn the principles that are available to us in our suffering. If we can view our heartache as a class in God's university that will yield us a degree in encouragement, much of the sting will dissipate. The Lord teaches us to place our trust in Him alone, and then we can pass that wisdom on to others.

The most effective encouragers are those who say, "There was nothing I could do but cry out to God. Let me tell you what the Lord did in response to my cry." If we try to escape pain, we will miss out on the principles that can be learned only from suffering; then we cannot be useful to others. Our loving Father builds encouragers from the material of a life willing to be broken.

Amen Sister Joyce.

We do learn much in trials and illness, especially how to become closer to JESUS. I give thanks for those brothers and sisters who pray for each other, share burdens, and try to lift each other up in JESUS.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.