Spoken Encouragement...

Encouragement that isn’t shared never happened.  I had this thought a while back and felt prompted to put it into words.  It occurred to me that I had regularly felt a kind thought pop into my mind that never quite made it to my mouth in order for it to make it to the person’s ears ultimately landing in their heart.  

I wondered why just having the thought felt sufficient, as if it’s the thought that really counts. I realized I didn’t feel compelled to share it feeling completely satisfied to merely think kindly or fondly of someone else for something they had done or, better still, something they were. That feeling of pride in them or joy in them would drift into my consciousness and I would dwell on it for a moment.  As the moment passed and life went on, the thought would dissipate as well.  If asked, I would recall the respect or affection I had for that person based on what I noticed about their attitudes or actions, but realized how many times those sentiments were kept to myself.  

Maybe it’s just wanting to wish others well as a lifestyle or to avoid seeming like a kiss-up, maybe even other thoughts like believing they most likely have already heard anything I would tell them, dismissing my impression as less impressive as someone else’s more eloquent words of encouragement.  Or maybe I don’t feel I have the relational equity to come “that close”, to speak “those words” without more proximal personal connection. “Surely they have someone who’s probably filling their cup more qualified than I.”  Yeah, more than likely.  Right?  

But I’m not sure the world is dying of too many people keeping good secrets about others to themselves.  For every person getting honey squirted in their ears on a regular basis, hundreds are propping themselves up with positive self-talk and sentences that end with, “at least that’s what I tell myself”.   Self-encouragement is necessary and talking kindly to yourself is critical to healthy soul-care.  But the human heart is meant for and made for interaction with other people speaking life and truth into it.  It craves it like air and water.  

I remember hearing a quote from someone that went something like this… “It is not the words of your critics that kills you, it’s the silence of your friends.”  There are certainly going to be voices of resistance along the way, as there should be.  No one is living with an unadulterated interpretation or expression of truth. But our world is not lacking cynics and critics.  It is lacking bold encouragers.  It is dying for people who are inspiring cheerleaders, reassuring voices to help you along as the years carry on and wear on you.

Anyway…just some thoughts I wanted to throw down.  Nothing earth-shattering, but something I wanted to get better at.  I’m getting more astute at keeping to myself and keeping things to myself, and I want to keep myself from turning inward in the last third of my life.  It’s going to take more counterintuitive living each year I’m alive if I’m going to make it to the end saying I’ve ‘fought the good fight’ and hearing God say, “Well done, good and faithful one.”