“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)
There’s an age-old story I love about a group of frogs. They were innocently hopping through the forest one day when two of them fell into a bottomless pit. When the other frogs saw how deep the hole was, they told the two frogs there was no hope left for them. The pit was too deep. They’d never make it out.
The two frogs deep in the hole ignored their friends and proceeded to attempt to jump out of the pit. No matter how high the two frogs jumped, their group of friends at the top of the hole said they should just give up because there was no way they could make it out alive.
Eventually, one of the frogs believed what the others were saying, and he gave up, jumping even deeper to his death. The other frog; however, continued to jump and climb and claw as hard as he could. His friends continued to yell down at him, telling him to stop and give up.
The trapped frog ignored them and jumped even harder. He finally made it out. When he scrambled out of the hole, the other frogs asked, “Did you not hear us?”
The frog explained to them that he was deaf, and he thought they were encouraging him the entire time!
It’s a funny story with a sober truth. Encouragement can mean the difference between success and failure or even life and death. It’s a choice we make. We have the power to encourage others or discourage others with our words.
In today’s verse, Paul reminds a group of encouragers to keep being encouraging. Why? Because we all need to be affirmed that we are doing a good job and to keep it up from time to time.
That’s why it’s so important that we intentionally encourage others. As believers, we need to cultivate a lifestyle of building others up. And let’s make sure we’re not just encouraging people we like or people who are easy to get along with. Let’s look to encourage the grumpy, the depressed and the alienated. You may be surprised how significantly a few positive words can impact someone.
God has called us to encourage one another. Look for ways to support the people in your life through positive affirmation. You never know the difference your encouragement could make.
DIG DEEPER
- Who can you start encouraging today?
- What specific steps can you take to develop a lifestyle of encouragement?
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