Encouragement

It has been great to be at home today!  This morning, I was able to have some quiet time and to reflect on my surroundings and life.  I had time to have lunch with a friend that I hadn't seen in a while. It was a day of taking care of personal things.  It was a good day!

Since I am a thinker, I had time to think. I came across this statement, "call me crazy, but I love to see other people happy and succeeding!  Life is a journey, not a competition."   As I thought about this statement, I thought of who have I "encouraged" to be happy and to succeed.  Encouragement is such a powerful word.  Webster says encouragement is "something that makes someone more determined, hopeful or confident; something that makes someone more likely to do something."

Life should be about encouraging each other.  We sometimes think that life is all about us, but it is actually about helping others.  Are you making a difference in someone else's life?

I want to share this story of a young boy who made a difference.

"A couple took a trip to the beach to get away from everyone and everything and to relax.  That evening a storm came up and it was lightening, thundering and the waves were hitting against the dunes.  Listening to the storm, the husband began to think of his own stormy life of demands and pressures.

The next morning, the man got up to walk along the beach and noticed that the beach was covered with starfish that had been thrown ashore and were helplessly stranded by the great waves.  He knew that once the morning sun burned through the clouds, the starfish would dry out and die.

As he walked, he noticed a young boy ahead and he was picking up the starfish, one at a time and was throwing them back into the ocean.

When the man got closer to the boy, he asked him "Why are you doing this?  Can't you see that one person will never make a difference--you will never be able to get all those starfish back into the water.  There are just too many."

"Yes, that's true," the boy said as he bent over and picked up another and tossed it into the water.  Then as he watched it sink, he looked at the man, smiled and said, "But I made a difference to that one."

As I read this story, I thought of all the people in the world and if I could encourage one person to be the best that they could be, then I could make a difference.

There will always be more people to encourage or to listen to,  We can't feel that there are too many to help, so we will not help anyone.

I encourage you, to encourage someone.  Make a difference!  Is there someone you know who is going through hard times; having marital problems; having problems at work or at school, etc.?

Be a friend and speak words of life.  You could make a difference!