Sometimes Pain Is A Stepping Stone for Encouraging Others

Devotion that inspired
this reflection>>>>Giving Others A Push
from RBC Ministries

I loved to encourage people. I love to let people know that God loves them know matter what because no sin is to great for God to through up his hand and say, "umm, I'm sorry; what you just did I can't let you in the Family." God may chastise us from time to time but that is because He would rather chastise you than pour his wrath upon you. To encourage people is to let them know that I'm not perfect, I have made mistakes, I continue to make mistakes from time to time but whatever dream is in them I try to let people know they can do it. It's amazing how sometimes just a couple of words will lift the spirit of an individual.

I encourage because I did not get encouragement coming up as a child. At first I wondered why I was going through something like this. I stuttered and stumbled bad as child, I was not the best looking, I was coordinated for my height, I was a mess coming up. I was an only child and was a loner most of my life, I had a very "strange" taste in music so I really could not fit into anyone's cliques so to speak. But for some reason before I even came to know the Lord he was pushing me forward. I don't know why but I never turned to drinking or drugs to fit in because my way of thinking was, "things may be bad but it's not THAT bad." I'm not going to lie, there were many nights I cried myself to sleep because I felt I was not loved, I would never meet that special someone. I would get angry with God and cry out, "Why are you allowing me to go through this mess." I mean I wasn't a saint but I didn't deserve this cruelty from people. So many ways I could have turned but I know [He] was guiding my footsteps. Don't get me wrong, I made some dumb mistakes and at times I was walking around with a chip on my shoulder feeling that the "world owes me for what THEY[people] have put me through. But as time went on I realized that many times it was not me that had the problem but the close-minded of people were the problem.

I began to realize that God did not make me or anyone else to be a carbon copy. I learned that when you are yourself that is what draws people toward you and if they do not like your company 9 times out 10 it is they who are unhappy. What also helped me to be an encouragement toward others are the things I encountered coming up: it made me patient with others, it taught me the difference between empathy and sympathy, it has taught me to that sometimes people need time to heal and realize that you can be trusted. It has also taught me that by opening up to people that you will get hurt from time to time because people will be people but it's a great feeling to open up to the world because in the end it is more good than evil.

As time has went on I continue to learn which people are genuine and which people are just out to use you and learn to turn away from them and just pray for them because you can not let someone else hangups stop your happiness. It has taught me that sometimes I will have times of isolation from the world because you can not just go along with everyone and everything but what I have also learned is that good hearted people recognize good hearted people and before you know it you have a network of friends and associates that are there for you, even if they are across the US or on the other side of the world.

When you encourage someone they will soon be an encouragement to others. It's so cool and so good to help others "just because".

Be Blessed, Be Safe
and Have a Wonderful Weekend.