There is no better exercise for our hearts than to reach down and lift someone up. And the best time to do that is when we are going through a difficult time ourselves. It might be the moment when we least feel like encouraging others, but the impact it has on our state of mind is life-changing. By encouraging others, we take a break from our own problems. And by doing that, we allow God’s love to shine through us in spite of the darkness of our own circumstances. The more we shine, the brighter our souls become and our own issues seem to be swallowed by that light.
At every stage in our lives we are either influencers, or the ones being influenced. When God sent Moses to free the Israelites from slavery, He gave him a staff and made Moses an influencer. One would think a murderous shepherd would need more than a stick to influence the most powerful person on Earth. Yet, he used what he had, to accomplish one of the biggest escapes in world history. Paul and Silas were the ones who needed encouragement when they were locked up for no valid reason. Yet, they chose to be the encouragers despite their circumstances. And they did it, where they were… in prison.
We don’t need to be “In the right place at the right time,” to make an impact. We can do it wherever we are. We don’t need to have ” All the necessary resources!” All we need is what we have. And when we have God, we have all we need. The ultimate influence and encouragement needs to be found in God. When we feel like our world is caving in around us and we throw our hands up in surrender, let’s lift our eyes up and know that our help comes from the Lord. When we know that, we can confidently be influencers of His light and love in a world that desperately needs encouragement.
Mark Davidson
