Discouragement: who holds the power over you?

If I had to choose one word that has the most power to break a person, I would have to say its discouragement. Just think about it. You have a great idea, a dream really, of something that you want to do. You are so excited and you start talking about it to people around you. You have the ones who tell you that you can do anything, that it is a great idea and that you will do great at it. But then in creeps the Negative Nellie's. Its foolish, its been done before, no one cares about that, you are doomed to fail. All of a sudden, doubt creeps in. You start to question yourself, second guessing if it is a good idea or a bad one, and then after awhile, you just give up. I wonder how many great inventions, or potential cures, or masterpieces of art, were given up on, because someone got discouraged by those around them.

When I was in high school, I loved reading and writing. I loved words, spelling, learning a new word and how to use it was exciting. (yes I was kinda nerdy). My favorite word is acquiesce. I love the way it spells the way it sounds (Ah-kwee-ess). It means to accept something reluctantly but without protest. I was never able to apply that word to my life. I could accept things, but never without a protest. I was active in speech contests, and school plays. My senior year, my English teacher came to me and said that she was told that I was very good in past plays, that I was very bright and she was giving me the largest role in the school play, and letting me help choose the rest of the cast. Wow, what an honor! And it was exciting. But when I was in 8th grade, I had a math teacher. I always struggled with Math, and still do. I do well with the basics, but throw a letter of the alphabet in there and I am lost. Back when I was in school Algebra was not required. You could take the algebra route, or the general/consumer math route. When we first started studying algebra in 8th grade, I was lost. I spend a good portion of the class every day at the teacher's desk with her attempting to explain to me how to find x. Finally in her frustration, she looked at me and said, "Beckie, you are not smart enough for Algebra, you need to take the general and consumer math classes in high school." For a girl who already had self esteem issues, all I took out of that conversation was that I was dumb. I struggled on through the class, getting help from my friends, and never again went forward to ask her for help. My friends tried to make me make sense of it, but I was always so frustrated, and would just tell them, "I'm too dumb to learn this." To this day, you mention algebra and my brain fogs over. In college I squeaked through Algebra only with massive tutoring. So on one hand I had a teacher tell me I was extremely smart, and one that told me I was not. Which one do you think affected my life the most? I only actually remembered the English teacher when I was trying to think of people who had encouraged me in high school. The math teacher I remember every time I have to do math.

I read somewhere that it take five positive comments to erase one negative comment. Read that again. FIVE positive comments to erase ONE negative comment. So if you make a comment to someone that brings them down, its going to take the next five people behind you, to make up for that. If you have a person with low self esteem, it may take more, or if bad enough, it may never go away, and may scar them for life. Ephesians 4:29 says

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (NIV)

I think it rolls back to what our moms and grandma's said to us growing up. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I am guilty as anyone about not thinking before I speak, about being hateful and gripey, especially before I got saved. But now I try to be encouraging. If someone has a dream, I try to stand behind them, and encourage them to reach for that dream. I recently started something new. I pray every day on my way to work, that I can be a blessing to at least one person. I also try to find five people each day and take an extra effort to say something kind, to complement them, encourage them, or do something extra to help them. Some days it can be a struggle to get the five but other days I may do ten or more! I might comment that I like their shirt, or purse, or jewelry. Or ask about their day and listen as they tell me and then ask questions to draw them out, showing them that I care. Or if it is someone who has told me something the time before I try to remember and ask them about it the next time I see them. It makes them feel good to know they mattered enough for me to remember and ask. Its encouraging! 

As Christians we are called to be the Body of Christ. The BODY. God did not create a body of Butts to sit around and do nothing. We are to be the Eyes, to see those around us who need help.. We are to be the Ears, to listen to those who need someone to talk to. We are to be the hands and arms to reach out, to hug, to lift up those who have fallen, both literally and emotionally. We are to be the feet and legs, to go out in search of those who need us, not just wait for them to cross our path. And we are to be the Mouth, to speak good, to speak kindness, love and encouragement. I challenge everyone that reads this to find one person every day to encourage. Not a friend, because we do that automatically. But a stranger, someone you encounter at school, at your job, on the street. Take a minute out of your day and build someone up. Be a blessing to those around you. It will make them happy, it will make you happy, and it will make God happy.