Contagious Encouragement

I have the best mother-in-law on the planet. This is not a disputable claim; it is established fact confirmed by the testimony of a host of credible witnesses. I could ramble on for paragraphs about what a remarkable woman Mom is, but one of the most concrete examples I can point to is her extraordinary gift for encouraging others.

My mother-in-law notices people. She pays attention and sees the hard work others are doing and hard things they confront. For many years, my mother and father-in-law ran a bed and breakfast together. Gracious and hospitable, Mom worked long hours to serve her guests well and make sure they were comfortable. She blessed many through her hospitality, and a number of her guests became friends. Mom knows what hard work is and how demanding it is to be attentive to the needs of others.  She recognizes those efforts in others when they serve her and makes a point to thank them. I have seen her stop to thank a bus boy, hands grimy from scraping away the remains of an elegant dinner, and thank him for his hard work. I often think about the blessing my mother-in-law’s encouraging words have been in the lives of those who, perhaps more frequently, receive only criticism or complaint.

Not only does my mother-in-law notice those around her, she follows through when she sees someone in need of encouragement. My in-laws are now retired, but I sometimes have a difficult time getting ahold of them. They are very busy and active, often visiting friends in the hospital or a nursing home, delivering soup to someone who is sick, or attending recitals and sporting events in support of their grandchildren or other friends. My mother-in-law’s circle of encouragement is broad. Not only does she encourage her own friends and family, but she reaches out to my friends as well. Several times, when a dear friend of mine was going through breast cancer treatment, I’d stop by to visit her and she’d say, “You have to listen to this voice mail your mother-in-law left for me! I saved it so I could play it for you--I listen to it over and over.  What an amazing woman!”

When I see the ways Mom blesses so many through her gift of encouragement, I am encouraged to do likewise. By God’s grace, I want to be more like her. I want to see others the way she does and follow through as she does, offering words and acts of kindness that bless. Each person I meet, whether the person ringing up my groceries in the checkout line or bussing my dishes in a restaurant, presents an opportunity to speak a word of blessing or of discouragement.  Of the people I encounter each day, I know the back stories and life situations of few. I have no idea which are barely making ends meet, or which go home at the end of a demanding shift to nearly impossible life circumstances. I can go about my business treating others with impatience or indifference. Or I can pray for eyes to see them as my mother-in-law does, as God’s image bearers to whom I can offer the gift of encouragement, blessing, and hope.

My mother-in-law has shown me that encouragement breeds encouragement. Discouragement tears down; encouragement builds.  And  I want to grow to be more like her, one of those who build.

Linking with Bonnie @ Faith Barista discussing the power of encouragement: