How to Encourage

The other day, our youngest son called and said, “I’m wondering if you can help me out Mom?”

Though I did not know what to expect, I said, “Sure.”

He went on to say, “I can’t find my recipe for Mrs. Bacon’s Coffee Cake. Can I get it from you?” 

Easy peasy, I thought. Digging through my recipe box, I found what he needed and relayed the ingredients and directions to him. When we finished, I asked, “Is there a special occasion for you to bake this coffee cake?”

“A friend at work is going through a hard time,” he said, “So I thought I’d take this coffee cake to work.”

My son. He knows how to encourage those around him. How does he know? He pays attention to people. He is thoughtful, discerning and intuitive. And, when he sees someone who needs a bit of hope, courage or a boost in confidence, he dispenses it in the best way he knows how.

I’ve been a recipient of his courage before. Whenever he and his wife come for dinner, he always asks, and not just in passing, “What’s been going on?” Though there is a thirty year age gap between us, though our worlds have a different orbit, and speed, his genuine interest in me gives me confidence that my life still matters to him.  

Encouragement comes in many different forms. A homemade coffee cake, a bouquet of flowers, a smile with a pat on the back, or acknowledgement of a job well done.

I’m fond of writing and receiving handwritten notes and sometimes I get surprised by phone calls from friends who are thinking about me. 

Just recently, one such friend who went on a retreat to St. Gertrude’s Monastery, called me on her way home to tell me that she’d visited the Monastery’s book store and saw my book. 

“I told the clerk in the store, ‘I know that author. She’s a friend of mine!’ I was enheartened that my friend thought to call me and share her excitement of knowing me, the author of the book she saw in the bookstore.

Sometimes, others may not be responsive or receptive to our words or actions of encouragement. They may not know how to receive a bit of cheer, an offer to buoy them up, or even just a smile. But, those folks just might need some time to believe that our encouragement is just what they need. In the meantime, there is someone out there who can benefit from our words or actions to raise their hope.

Why Bother? 

Why bother knowing how to encourage? Everyone needs a small or large dose of courage, confidence, or support. Paying attention to people, being thoughtful, discerning and intuitive will help us to dispense a bit of hope, courage or a boost in confidence, in the best way we know how.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who, like me, know they need to change, but are not quite sure where to start. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.