Encouragement

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If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then will you realize how special you are to me.

If there is one thing that really bothers me, it’s when I will hear my wife say something negative about herself. I always quickly say to her, “don’t talk like that my about my wife!” Of course, she will always repay the favor, because I too will at times say unflattering things about myself. You see, when we begin telling ourselves that we’re too fat, have too many wrinkles, or whatever other thing about ourselves that we wish was different, we are painting a very ugly self-image of ourselves. Because, I can assure you those who truly love us could care less about those things. To counter these negative thoughts that, if we’re being honest here, most of us have; we should make it our mission in life to, as the Bible tells us, “encourage one another and build each other up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) A kind word cost us absolutely nothing, and can really brighten a person’s day. Instead of looking for a loved ones imperfections, look for positive things, and vocalize them, not just think them. Leo Buscaglia has a famous quote that says, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” If we could just put that into practice it could really make a difference in the way those around us feel about themselves; and the more they are able to love themselves, the more they are able to love others as well. I have often said that the most loving, most caring people I know are those who have gone through difficult times themselves, and they were ministered to; and because they received such love, they now desire to repay the kindness by loving others in return. I remember when my son died; I had just recently returned to work after being laid off my job for five months. I had spent every penny of my retirement, and we had no savings left. My son had no insurance so the burden of paying for his funeral fell on me. My sister, Debbie started a fundraiser to help us, and God touched the hearts of over 50 people to help us, and we not only had enough to cover the funeral expenses, we had a few hundred dollars left over. My heart was so filled with gratitude for the love we were shown, I then looked for others who were struggling, and spent every penny of that overage, helping others who had a need. You see, that is the power love and kindness has; it is contagious and can make our world a better place to live in. We may not be able to change the whole world, but we can change the world for those we love, and make "our world" a beautiful place to live in.

From my heart to yours!

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