TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I’ve told y’all before that I work with a local Great Clips franchise group and they have a number of locations between NC and VA. The franchisee, operations director, and general managers have been working crazy hard for weeks to make sure that re-opening the business will be safe for their customers and stylists. They have utilized guidance from the Great Clips corporate offices as well as their own additional safety adaptations. And yesterday, they put their new processes to work when two of the Virginia locations were able to re-open. Even working with half their stations closed down, they had a great first day back. People are so excited to get their hair cut!
And the stylists are thrilled to be back at work! I work with a lot of different industries, and I love the variety! All of my clients are incredible people and I’m proud to support their businesses! But I have a soft spot for hairstylists. They really, really love their jobs and their customers. For them, it’s not just about cutting hair. They love to make people feel good about themselves. They want people to leave their chairs feeling better than they did when they sat down.
How many of us feel that way about the people we interact with? How many of us talk with others with the intent to uplift them? How many of us hope that when we end the phone call or leave the meeting, we leave people better than we found them? And I’m not talking exclusively about the people who are depressed, sad, grieving, or having a hard time. I’m talking about anyone and everyone—from our family and friends to our co-workers, to the cashiers at the grocery store.
As you sail through your day, are you leaving encouragement in your wake?
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). And to the people of Ephesus, he wrote, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). And finally, the writer of Hebrews (probably Paul) wrote, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
As Christians, we are called to encourage one another. To build people up. To leave people a little better than we found them… and maybe, through our encouragement and kindness, show unbelievers the hands and feet of Jesus through our words and actions so that they may seek Him for themselves.
Today, as you pray, thank God for the gift of encouragement, especially as it was modeled by Jesus. Thank Jesus for the way He always left people better than when He found them. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you so that you leave encouragement behind wherever you go!
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
