I was going to work on a travel post today and this happened. I got inspired. This happens quiet often actually. I have more than a couple of drafts that I have good intentions of posting but then good 'ol inspiration gets in the way. Unscripted life. I'm OK with that...sometimes. My inspiration came from today's sermon at 12Stone presented by Kevin Queen and you can view it on 12Stone.com. Did I mention he's my favorite speaker? Well he is. But let's back track a bit before we move forward.
I'm sure most of you may have heard of Myintent Project. They foster and encourage meaningful conversations and intentional living. They also make these creative bracelets and necklaces customized with the word that defines you/your purpose on nickel sized precious metal. I was drawn to their mission and I purchased a My Word necklace and bracelet. My word - Hope and The Giver. I also purchased a Questions Card with different themes per group of cards. I'm starting with the Love theme and the question one of the cards asks is - what makes you feel loved? I'm sure we all have different ways of answering that question. Some of us quantify love by
receiving gifts
attention
physical intimacy
kind words
simply saying the word I love you.
The one word that stood out to me today thanks to Kevin Queen's sermon was encouragement.
My dad was hospitalized recently quiet unexpectedly and aside from my mom being by his side daily, the one thing that stuck out to me were her words of encouragement. She would look at my dad with a big smile on her face and say - "you are a strong man. You're very smart and intelligent. We are here waiting for you. You will pull through. You are strong". I remember just staring at her and really feeling those words for him. Really believing in her words. My Dad's turn around the next day was incredible. I believe her constant words of encouragement had a lot to do with it
Encouragement makes me feel loved. It holds more power than you can imagine. Encouragement is like a gentle hand lifting you back up when you feel like falling down or giving up on yourself.
It's the savior of self sabotage. To have someone say to you when you need it the most - you are amazing, you can do this, I have your back, you are strong, we believe in you, keep going - it creates a super human force within you.
You believe in yourself a little more, you believe in your purpose a little more, you believe in humanity a little more. I used to think hoping for encouragement made me seem less independent. I thought "you're all the motivation you need Cheli, just suck it up and keep going". But now I beg to differ. We can't always be our only cheerleader. Having your like minded friends, your community, your family, even your co-workers encouraging and supporting you, especially when you need it the most, is a beautiful and necessary thing. We are all on a different path in life. A special journey. We all need encouragement to continue that journey to completion with grace and determination.
That's one of my fears - not completing my journey. Abandoning it for something more mainstream; less me. Have I been guilty of this? Yes. Could I use some encouragement every now and then?
Yes. Lots of it.
Please and thank you.
So consider showing love with words and acts of encouragement, daily. Look at the people around you and remember they need words of encouragement, everyday, just as much as you do. No matter how capable you think they are.
So as Monday approaches and you see someone at the coffee pot seeking courage to face the day from a big cup of dark, sugary goodness; turn to them with a sincere smile and say "Happy Monday! This is going to be an amazing day. I believe in you. You got this!"
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