I just wanted to take a moment and say thanks to all of you for your encouraging words and actions to me. Maybe you have no idea how meaningful that compliment or that written note or that hug is to me so I want to express my gratitude. You have challenged me and reminded me to be a better encourager myself. I teach piano to more than a hundred kids at Harrison Elementary. My good friend is the principal and she has made a strong commitment to piano education at her school. From a grant they were able to purchase 20 new keyboards that the children use every day. It has been a great thing to be a part of this new learning experience for these kids. I’m telling you this to say I am having plenty of opportunity to practice my encouraging skills every day. These kids respond in an amazing way to the simplest positive statement, to a pat on the back, to a look in the eye. I am constantly reminding myself to be an encourager at school, at church and at home with my girls. There are examples for us to follow from the Bible like Barnabas and Paul. I will end with this wonderful verse from the Message translation.
II Corinthians 1:3-6
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
