Several months ago, I was walking into the Dollar Store when a lady stopped me in the parking lot and said, “You look like a very nice young man!” The phrase caught me off guard. I didn’t do anything of notice — I was merely walking through the parking lot. Also, I had no idea who this lady was, having no recollection of meeting her before. However, I couldn’t help but smile in response to her kind word and say, “Oh, thank you ma’am!”
The whole interaction took less than a couple of seconds, but there was no doubt, the woman’s words encouraged me. I walked into the Dollar Store with an extra pep in my step, not knowing what was to come.
As I stood in one of the aisles looking at the items on the shelf, one of the employees (a man a couple years younger than me) walked by me and immediately I felt the Holy Spirit urge me to talk to him. I didn’t know what was going on or even what to say to the young man, but I felt how much God cared for this individual. For the next several moments, I kept walking through the store getting the items I needed until my shopping led me right to him.
I’m don’t exactly remember all the details of the conversation, but I do remember thanking him for his hard work and his service. This created a small bridge of trust that I was able to use to tell him that as he had walked by me before, I had felt how much God cared for him. As I said all of this, I could see the the words touch his heart in a powerful and almost physical way. I asked him what God’s love meant to him and he responded saying, “It’s encouraging because my mom is currently in the hospital.” We talked more about his mom’s condition which opened the door for me to share the testimony of how God saved my own mother’s life from death. At this point, I could see each word literally giving him courage to face his mother’s situation. I asked him if I could pray, to which he responded yes. There, in the middle of Dollar Store, we prayed that his mom would be healed and that he would have the courage and strength to walk through this very tough situation. He walked away blessed and encouraged by God’s work!
Looking back, I can’t help but wonder–did God bring that lady into my path to encourage me so I would have what I needed to approach the young man with encouragement? I will never know exactly, but one thing I do know, we are encouraged so that we can encourage others! The initial encouragement might stem from being around friends and family, reading God’s word, being in God’s presence, or interacting with a random stranger; though the sources are endless, the encouragement is not to end with you but is meant to be continued.
This week, as the Lord encourages you, ask God, “Who do you want me to encourage?” Allow God to show you that person and then move forward in faith. No matter how small an act of encouragement, it can have profound and timeless effects.
Be blessed.
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