Are you an encourager - you love to encourage people around you.
Being an encourager yourself can be a hard thing to do, perhaps in your childhood, you don't get enough affirmation from your own parents or peers. You grew up feeling like a failure and in whatever you do, you seem to be unsuccessful all the time. Or when you hear being an encourager, you just simply laugh at it, feeling impossible to be one.
Yet, parenting isn't an easy task. No one would truly say that they really love to do housework every day, not to mention parenting children at home. Perhaps you are feeling like your 24 hours is never enough for you. All you do is for your children and not yourself. You don't get to sit back and relax, but being so busy running here and there in the house, getting everything ready for OTHERS, again you do all for OTHERS and not so much for yourself.
So, you will then ask the question - How can I be an encourager to others then? I wanted so badly for others to come and encourage me instead.
Have you ever thought this way at all? I am just wondering...
Yes, parenting is more like a supreme or noble job - well, you need to be a good model for your children almost at all times or else you might blame yourself not being good enough, not mother or father enough for your children. The weight on you is already heavy. Being a parents is no easy job. You are only human by the way. You will surely make mistakes. You will surely don't do everything right. No matter how old you are, how young you are. SAME thing will happen to all.
Perhaps I would say, our mistakes when we acknowledged it, when we thought of ways to improve ourselves, when we determined not to make it again. We would feel better of ourselves by accepting the mistakes we made, accepting we are only human and knowing that the God who created us has already known us thoroughly. We will have His pardon for all our mistakes. We first needed to accepted ourselves (that would include our weaknesses not just our strength) and acknowledge our needs for MORE OF GOD in our lives.
We need to RECEIVE encouragement from the Creator God first and foremost. We will then be able to encourage others. We cannot give for what we do not receive!!
Once we received the acceptance, encouragement and love from God - we can then give the same acceptance, encouragement and love to others.
More so, when we look back to our childhood, many of us were very wounded and not many were having a gorgeous childhood memories. Where does our comfort come from? Isn't it from God himself??? I was so wounded in my childhood. I found my strength from the Lord, I found my own identity in Him. I found myself in Him and I know that God loves and He cares for me a lot. I was such a great sinner (based on my own measurement to myself), I even felt the same as the Apostle Paul, I was the worst sinner ever on earth!!
Yes, I was so wounded, being bullied and laughed at. Yes, how could I ever think of being an encourager at all? However, I've learnt a great deal of lesson from all my wounds and hurts - that I will not act the same to others, I will not be a bully, I will not laugh at others just because of their appearance, behaviour or upbringing. This I promised myself not to do so. That has become my strength to love and encourage others, I find great joy in knowing that the people I know, they see life in a positive light!
Your story might also teach you something. Your story (your past) might encourage you to do something different too. If you are unsure, I encourage you to share this with God and talk to Him about it today. God himself will guide you into all things, Amen.
I know that you can be an encourager as well.
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. [2 Cor 9:8 NIV]