In what way would you like to be encouraged?

When life gets you down,

When something is said unfairly,

When finances and jobs are inadequate,

What do you need to be encouraged?

Retail therapy is a choice we have.  Getting out of the house and finding a cute pair of boots that are the perfect match to an old jacket, creating a new and fashionable update again can help.  But, it doesn’t take long for the new to wear off, and you are back to the same-old same-old.

What do you need to be encouraged?

We could go to that friend who is always up!  You know the one.  You love to be around her because she is a hyper-happy cheerleader and you can get caught up in the Tigger like behavior for a while. But then, you come home and the family wants to be fed…again! (We just fed these people yesterday! And they want more!)

What do you need to be encouraged?

Sometimes 409 therapy in encouraging.  Finally getting all of the fingerprints off of the refrigerator door, and wiping up the mystery blob on the baseboard helps.  Until ten minutes later when the children come running through with their friends, and it looks like you never did a thing.

“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise. ~C.S. Lewis

What do you need to be encouraged?

We need the truth.

We need a friend who is not going to tell us that it will be okay, just to have something nice to say. We need someone to say it is going to be okay based on truth. We need to know that it will be hard but, we will make it because someone who is bigger and stronger is with us giving us the courage to move forward.

Encouragement has courage at its heart.

Encouragement comes when we face the reality in front of us in the light of God’s Word.  When we face our fears and problems with the courage that God is Truth and cannot lie.   Then we find the Hope to keep moving forward.

When God says, “I am holding you by your right hand — I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I am here to help you.” (Isaiah 41:13),  then we need to believe Him.

Then we walk in this truth we are encouraged.  We must believe God’s Word as much as we believe in gravity and oxygen, even though we cannot grasp either in our hands, it is present.

When we apply God’s Word into our situation there is hope. 

HOPE is true encouragement, and encouragement is Faith that God is on our side.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Linking with Holley, Jennifer, and Beth today.

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Diane W. Bailey

Diane W. Bailey is the founder of The Consilium – an online community of wisdom and purpose for women over 45 years of age. She is a published author. Her books include String of Pearls – From Tears to Treasure, and 30 Days To A Better Stepfamily. She creates her own line of precious metals bracelets. Diane lives in the Deep South with her husband Doc. Together they have created a stepfamily, each having two stepchildren and two birth children, and share three grandchildren, one black lab named Charlie and one long haired tabby cat named Lil Girl. Diane’s passion is to encourage women to be all God has created them to be by pressing past fear and daring to live life as an adventure. Some of her life adventures include traveling to Israel, speaking, entrepreneurship and backyard farming with Doc. She loves Gumbo, fried shrimp and seeing all sunsets across water.

Latest posts by Diane W. Bailey (see all)

• What God Can Do with A Shattered Heart - September 5, 2022
• When It Is Time to Bring Your Ship Ashore - January 2, 2018
• Art Of Hospitality – How to Love Others As Ourselves - November 27, 2017

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