Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
After a couple of years (!!!) of living a somewhat sedentary lifestyle, I’ve recently bitten the bullet and started a new exercise routine. It’s no big thing, but I’ve really been enjoying it and actually look forward to my workouts in the evenings. It’s been a good thing, and I have no plans of quitting any time soon.
Other than the simple enjoyment of the exercise, I’ve felt motivated to continue because the other night, my husband said he could notice the physical effects of the exercise. (Read: the lingering effects of pregnancy might actually be fading away.) His compliment was unsolicited, enhancing its weight and making me feel very, very good about myself. Knowing that my exercising (and the slight changes in my eating habits that always seem to accompany any change in activity level) is making a difference, I am even more driven to continue. Even when I don’t feel up to exercising, knowing that 1)it will make me feel better mood-wise and 2)I’m reaping some visible benefits as well…hard to explain, maybe, but it makes it a lot easier to change my clothes and get moving.
As I thought about how my husband’s words made me feel, I was reminded, too, of similar unsolicited compliments I’ve received recently and in the more distant past. The most meaningful compliments are always those that come without provocation, and those that concern things I’m especially conscious of and am working on.
For example, when a friend told me awhile back that I seem much more easygoing than I used to, I was thrilled. Over the past few years, as I have beaten my anxiety to a pulp with much prayerful labor, I’ve become pretty self-conscious of my past and lingering anxious ways. It’s not something I wish to maintain, so any progress I make toward a more complete trust in the Lord and a more peaceful existence is considered a victory, however small. Feeling that progress is one thing, but hearing that others can tell a difference? Incredible. It’s enough to make me want to do a Rocky-esque dance at the top of whatever staircase is closest. It’s empowering to know that our work is yielding results. It’s encouraging to know that our progress is not imagined. It’s uplifting to know that we clearly aren’t where we used to be, but are moving toward a better version of ourselves.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on this, and am realizing that I have never been very good at paying compliments to others. Knowing how good it feels to receive a compliment, I don’t know why it is hard for me to pay it forward, but it always has been.
I’m working on changing that, especially in reference to complimenting people on things that really matter. A casual remark of “Oh, I really like your shirt today” is easy enough, but commenting on how someone’s character has been affected by their growing relationship with the Lord? That’s more difficult, yes, but imagine how it would feel to hear those words!
Walking with the Lord is hard. It requires honest self-examination and diligent effort, clinging to Him and allowing Him to change things in ourselves that we might be very, very attached to. It is slow going sometimes, and sometimes, we can lose sight of our goal of becoming more Christlike. Sometimes – on days when we hear angry, bitter words coming from our mouths and don’t know where they came from, or when we find ourselves in the desolate cell of familiar sin – we may not feel like we’re making any progress whatsoever and that it just isn’t worth the pain and effort. The world (and our spiritual enemy within it) loves to make us feel that we are standing in place and that our efforts are futile. The Lord, though, speaks empowering words of truth….sometimes through other people.
What if we all looked for ways to encourage each other as we move from our old existence into life with Christ? What if, when fruits of the Lord’s beautiful Spirit become visible, we were more quick to point those things out than we are to draw attention to the flaws in our brothers and sisters? What if words of genuine words of praise flowed freely within our communities?
What if? I think the answer to that “what if?” is that we would all be encouraged to keep going. We’d all see that we are making progress…or that the Lord is making progress within us, and that while we may feel as though we’re standing still, we’re actually creeping toward the life He has for us.
(I’m reminded here of what I’ve always heard about tornadoes: When they appear to be standing still, you are directly in their path because they’re coming straight for you. The illusion of stillness sometimes means that the movement is most urgent. Does this mean that when we don’t appear to be drawing any closer to where we’re supposed to be in relation to the Lord, we’re actually right on track? Perhaps…. That’s something I’ll be thinking on over the next day or so.)
I’m really challenging myself on this point. I want to be an encouraging person…not just so that people enjoy being around me, but so that the Lord is using me to draw people into the life He has for them. No, I cannot push people down the path toward righteousness, but I can encourage them from the sidelines. I can let them know that yes, they are getting there. Yes, I can see the Lord in them. Yes, He is working, and yes, it’s worth it to keep going.
Unmerited compliments don’t do anyone any good. Compliments that come from an awareness of real progress, though…compliments that remark on the fruits of the Spirit emerging from someone….those are edifying to the body of Christ and are glorifying to the God who makes them possible.
Something to think about. I know that I am.
0 of your thoughts:
Post a Comment