Building Circles of Encouragement

Jul 2, 2014 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

 

How many times have you felt like you were supposed to do something, but didn’t do it? For me, too many to count.

But today, I did one. I wrote to someone who I haven’t seen in years and probably doesn’t even remember me. But this person is in a tough place and just needed some encouragement knowing God loves them and that someone cares.

How often do we have a “feeling” that we are supposed to reach out to another person and simply extend a hand of friendship or a word of encouragement? We are really good at asking others for help or getting in their faces with criticism. We will reluctantly do our “duty” to help our neighbor when they are in a bind or seek someone out when we are lonely. But do we simply reach out to other human beings to simply be a friend without receiving anything in return?

Our lives have a series of concentric circles of relationships around us. We have family, then close friends. Next are those people we regularly associate with, such as, co-workers and people at church or groups we belong to. Then are acquaintances. Everyone in every circle needs to know they are loved and that someone believes in them. We all need encouragement, a pat on the back, a surety that our life matters to someone else.

Most of us are pretty good at encouraging our family. We tell them they’ve done a good job at something or that we are proud of them for some accomplishment. We will often tell our close friends this, as well. But what about the circles further from our center?

When was the last time you sent a note, phone call, or face-to-face encouragement to another person in your life?

It doesn’t take a lot of time, but a simple act of reaching out can change everything for that person. Remember the last time you received a note of praise or encouragement? I know when I have I felt so bolstered I thought I could conquer the world.

It doesn’t take much time to make a great impact:

• Write an email.
• Go old school and send a note in the mail.
• Make a phone call.
• Go knock on their door.
• FaceTime or Skype.
• Message on Facebook or another social media site.
• Send a gift card.
• Send flowers.
• Just do something!

Take a minute or two. You have the time, and your words may just be what someone needs to hear today.

How do you regularly reach out to people in your circles?

~ Jim and Jerolyn