Encouragement

1. the act of encouraging.
2. the state of being encouraged.
3. something that encourages.
- Ref: www.dictionary.com

I had no idea how difficult random exhortation is until I'm attempting it. The question of Lent came up the other day, which I thought was interesting. Although Catholic in nature, the effort of putting aside something for God and spend that time in prayer or other things instead...I mean, both self-disiplin training and quiet time, all mixed together. So I thought, why not. I'll do it.

But then. What do I really want to give up? I don't really have a favourite food. Anime or gaming isn't a problem for me. Then I was talking to Shelby (lol. I got referenced on her blog. Gotta watch what I say now...oyy...) and she was telling me how I can do things for Lent instead. Interesting.

So I was walking in that field between Summit and my place...can't remember why. Grocery shopping maybe? But I go this interesting idea. What about mass exhortation? Locate someone on each day...surely I have 40 walking Christian friends. Sure, it's totally random, but meh. The only time I've let that stop me is irrational fear. In what really? Encouraging my brothers and sisters is pretty good. So now I'm 8.0/40.6...about 5 people behind schedule. It's alright, considering I started almost a week behind...gotta catch up soon.

But I ran into difficulty rather quickly. I'd sit down and think of random people...and start writing to the first person I think of. About what though? Beats me. It's rather difficult, on a few counts:

- Some people I have been keeping up with. These people I could refer to their current events and battles (though I haven't been doing that...other things came to mind during writing...a little too freeflowing? I dunno). Others I haven't talked to in a while. It becomes more of a catching-up session then an exhortation effort...

- To bring focus, I stick a verse into every email I send out. Except for my knowledge of the Word is pitiful at best. Like, how am I suppose to write to someone with more Bibical knowledge then myself? Doing best with what I've got...

- I guess there's always that uncertainty factor. Is what I'm doing actually helping? Can I actually encourage someone with my random random emails? I dunno. I really don't. Encouragement is far from my strongest point. Weither it's helping or not, that's for Someone bigger then me to know. Best I can do is to just do it. God can use anyone, but that doesn't mean you can just sit around and do nothing.


"Each of us should please his neighbour for his good, to build him up." - Romans 15.2

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5.11

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." - Hebrews 3.13-14