Cultivating KindnessSample

YOU CAN DO IT!

Have you ever seen a mother getting her baby to walk? The baby’s been crawling, and now he's trying to get up. His legs are wobbly. He stands for a moment, and bam! He falls back down again. The mother sees that he is trying. “Come on, come on, you can do it!” When the baby hears that, he tries again. He stands, and then bam! He’s back down again. The mom doesn’t say to the baby, “You dummy, you’ll never amount to anything.” No, she encourages the baby to keep trying again and again. And when he finally stands—“GET THE CAMERA!”

What we should find in the house of God is a bunch of cheerleaders like that mother. People saying, “Come on! You can make it! I know you’re struggling with this habit or that hang-up. I know you fell down on it again last week. But come on, we can do it! We can make it!”

Whom can you encourage today? God wants us to strengthen one another and be strengthened by them. We need to be each other’s cheerleaders.

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

HEBREWS 10:24–25

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

I THESSALONIANS 5:11

Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

II CORINTHIANS 13:11 NIV

Lord, it doesn’t always feel natural to encourage others. Either I struggle to love another person, or I am dealing with my own pain. Please flow through me, and teach me to encourage others well.