Encourage

Somebody once said they could survive a week on one compliment. There was a time I thought encouragement was unnecessary. I felt everyone should have enough drive within to be successful. I have now realized the importance of encouragement in the lives of others. Often it is the one element missing that keeps a friend or family member from prospering.

Husbands need to be the encourager our wifes' need. I have not been all I should be to boost the confidence of my wife. They deserve it and most importantly, they need it. I have noticed a confident mother is nearly unstoppable. This is twice as important with a homeschool mom. They are fighting an uphill battle from the start. The commitment to educate children in the home is mostly unaccepted outside of the immediate family. Often it is not supported by friends and extended family. Society thinks your kids are at home watching cartoons all day. This adds up to a lot of pressure for a homeschool mom and means they need us more than ever.

How important is encouragement to our children? It is vital in there development. We have seen this in extreme cases with foster children in our home. Many kids spirit have been severely defeated. It is visible in their body language. Within days of being constantly built up and loved the difference is noticeable. It is like watering a tomato plant and physically seeing the growth daily.

God intends us to lift each other up. Iron sharpeneth iron. It also helps get the focus away from self. Just think what a few positive words can mean to a new Christian or someone convicted about salvation. We clearly spend too much time on the negative. Think of those few people you know who always have something nice to say. Think of how they make you feel. Let's be that person for those we influence.