…They drew near and came. Everyone helped his neighbor, and said to his brother, “Be of good courage!” Isaiah 41:5-6

Sofia was working as a restaurant cook when Covid hit.  She called her workplace to say she wasn’t coming in because she didn’t feel well. They knew it could be Covid, but tests weren’t widely available then, so the restaurant closed out of caution. Sofia knew she had done the right thing by reporting her illness, but fear was running high and she worried about the stigma she might face.

A few days later, two of her coworkers came to her house with a giant box of food. They stood on the sidewalk and shouted, “We love you!” Sofia was flooded with relief!

The actions of Sofia’s coworkers reminds me of a man named Barnabas, in the Bible. Barnabas stood up for a friend named Paul who had a violent past and encouraged him to share about what Jesus Christ had done in his life when everyone else was dubious because of Paul’s past. Barnabas not only brought Paul to the Christian leaders in Jerusalem, but he later sought out Paul and encouraged him to work full-time at sharing the gospel with both Jews and non-Jews.

Don’t underestimate the power of influence you have and its potential for encouraging another person. Encouragement is the act of bringing courage to another.

Many people around you are on the brink of choices. Discouragement is no less contagious than encouragement, so let’s be proactive about being uplifting influencers and learning to recognize the right moment for encouragement.

 

Resource reading: Deuteronomy 3:28