ENCOURAGE one another

Whether I am offering encouragement or someone has given me encouragement, it has been on my heart this week. It astounds me how much we all need it some times. I love giving encouragement when someone is in need. I love finding encouragement in the Word. But, I some times find it difficult to allow someone else to give encouragement to me when I need it. I feel as though I am burdening them. This week I did well. I allowed four different people to offer encouragement and I accepted it with grace. This is a big step for me. I need to realize people who offer me encouragement for the very same reasons I offer them encouragement. It lifts one's spirits.

So, when I had some "brain dead" time today, I decided to pull out a binder containing some of my old poetry and the beginnings of stories I had written in school. I remembered this binder after a conversation with someone yesterday. I decided to peruse the pages in order to see how much different I am now. Oh! I am very different in my style, use of words and subject matter. What amazed me most was how colorful and descriptive I was with the stories. I suppose if my current writing warrants it, I still have that ability. It will probably take some practice to utilize it, however. My stories were geared toward young adults, as I was a young adult at the time.
But, the greatest find of the day? I have talent (or so said a note I found). My creative writing instructor placed a post-it inside the contents of the binder with my grade. I had forgotten about this particular note. He said he was impressed with the content of the binder and my talent (gift). The note went on to tell me he looked forward to finding a book with my name on it in the book stores. Wow! What encouraging words. Along the path of my life, I had forgotten how confident others were of my gift. I had forgotten how confident I was about my gift. I allowed life to get in the way and shoved something very precious into the background. My advice to anyone who has done the same is to pick up your dreams, take them to God and pursue them...Whatever your dreams may be.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. – II Thes. 2:16, 17