The Gift of Encouragement: Finding Joy in Blessing Others

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." — Acts 20:35b (NIV)

There is probably no greater joy in life than making someone else feel significant … when you can bless them, encourage them and know that you have built them up. Whether it's through giving a gift or speaking a word of encouragement or doing an act of kindness — there's something very powerful about taking the focus off your own needs to just being a vehicle to bless someone else.

Jesus said the two greatest commandments were to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and to love your neighbour as yourself'. Now the last part of this commandment is very difficult: we find it easy to love ourselves and we don't find it easy to love others. In fact, Jesus said it very well when He said 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

In other words, it is more significant to invest into other people's needs rather than in fact meeting your own. What a wonderful thing it is when you can be a conduit of blessing to someone else. It was always a great blessing to look into the eyes of my children, when I had the privilege of giving them a gift and to see the wonder, excitement and anticipation that they'd display! Or when I have opportunity to do something that I'm not even asked to do, like clean up someone else's mess and go the 'extra mile'! That's being a blessing.

It sure changes the focus of your life when you start to be more considerate of the needs of others, rather than just the needs of yourself.

Reflection/Action:
What can you do to bless someone today? Ask God to bring someone to your remembrance and what could you do to encourage them? Try and make it a daily habit to be a source of blessing to others rather than waiting for others to bless you!