Tuesday, December 3rd---Guest Writer, Mrs. Lois Ormsby

Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

My mom has her own blog through which she seeks to glorify God and encourage other women to do the same. Ironically, she has chosen “Encouragements” as the name of her blog! Some people say, “Oh, I don’t have the gift of encouragement so I don’t have to worry about encouraging other people.”

WRONG!

Look at the verse again with me, girls – it says that Jesus came to minister, even to give His life for others! We know that God commands us to walk in Christ’s footsteps. Therefore, we all have the ability to encourage others in some way. The point of encouraging someone is not to bring attention to yourself; it is to draw the other person’s attention to Christ in the midst of their time of despair, sorrow, or defeat.

Back to my mom --- the reason I mentioned her is because several months ago, she wrote a wonderful article on encouraging others called “An Arsenal of Encouragements”. She simply listed several different things you could do for someone that would allow the Holy Spirit to cheer someone through you, encouraging her readers to keep such a list handy somewhere. Since some of the things on her list were geared towards mothers or married women, here’s a condensed version of her list for you girls :) .

1. Send an email; Tell them how they have blessed your life. Yes! That’s right! A compliment out of nowhere!
2. Buy a small gift for someone who would totally not be expecting it. If you have the mindset of being a blessing to others, you might scan the clearance section in “cool” stores. You can find treasures in “not-so-cool” stores too occasionally!
3. Call someone on their birthday and sing Happy Birthday.
4. Pray for the person; God can encourage them very personally, and without you, but more than likely He will guide you in the ways that you might encourage them too! I like that verse that says He will guide us with His eye! (Psalm 32:8)
5. Write a brief note to her; brevity can be best during tough times.  Resist telling her that we know what she is going through. Her circumstances may include difficulties so private that no one else knows them; we may not know what she is going though!
6. Perhaps a telephone call would be appreciated. Perhaps. Often when a person is overwhelmed or grieving, they do not want to talk. Others do; ask the LORD to lead you.
7. Make a visit; use your creativi-tea!
8. Many of us have become proactive and we communicate when something is not right; how about taking time to communicate when something is right or exemplary? An example: When we pay our check in a restaurant and the cashier asks how was everything, we may tell them that the food was fine, but that the server was fabulous. Often a manager will be found near the cash register so this is a feather in the cap of a hard working server.
9. Tell someone that they have a great smile!
10. Offer practical help when someone may be in a time bind.
11. Practice thinking of something good in everyone or every situation.
12. When you have made a commitment to be involved in something, be faithful to it. Not doing so causes discouragement. Being in your place reminds others that have prepared for you that you appreciate their effort.
13. If you want to encourage someone that has an abiding faith, with humility remind them of a thing that encourages you – that the Bible tells us to fear not or not to be afraid, 365 times, once for every day of the year.
14. Sneak up behind someone and give her a hug. Tell her you are glad she is your friend.
15. Do something anonymously for someone; you will enjoy that more than them and I cannot tell you why. I can only tell you that it is so.
16. Most of us make something. I have been given some incredible things made by other ladies. Food, of course and we never tire of that.  I have been given small packs of homemade greeting cards, specially crocheted bookmarks, and oranges from a tree! What do you have? What can you make that will make your encouragement memorable?
17. A touch on the hand and a smile as you pass by a friend that is struggling. Not everyone wants to talk, but this is enough to let them know you care and are thinking of them.
18. Have you have taken a photo of someone that would be great to share? That shows an extra effort of care and thought; so fun! Just walking up to someone and handing them a photo, telling them that you thought they might enjoy this will brighten a day. If time or finances don’t allow, I have been known to email a picture to someone; I know I enjoy getting them this way; then I can file it, put in on my desktop, or have it printed – or all of the above.

Scripture Reading for the Day:

Proverbs 3
II Corinthians 11