She was responsible for responding in writing to inquiries for catalogs. No one could complain about her proficiency at performing her assigned, boring tasks.

She was well dressed and good looking so some folk thought she was "acting cute". It was no surprise that when that the ax had to fall her job was the first to be cut. Management thought that she would not be missed. Plans were made to farm her work out to someone else. No one approached her with sorrow, sadness or suggestions.

Betty sat next to her cubicle. On some occasions, she heard her talk loudly on the telephone. Some people thought she was showing off the fact that she had a husband and children that called her at the job. Most of the time she worked and ate her lunch at her desk. She and Suzy never shared lunch, words or advice. However, this day Betty felt an unexplainable urge to reach out to her. It didn't make sense. No one liked her.

She watched the heads of other workers in the lunch room nod as they said words like "She deserves it" "She won't be missed" "I wonder how high in the air her nose will be now."

But Betty still felt a need to reach out. She tried to negotiate with herself. "Maybe I'll say something to her when she comes to pick up her last check." "Besides, she continued I don't feel like talking to someone who is probably mad about losing their job." "She reasoned with herself." But the urging would not go away.. So she closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds took a deep breath and said a quick prayer as she walked toward Suzy's office space. She stood outside of the door and said with a choked voice above a whisper. "If I can help you with anything let me know". There was no response. Suzy didn't even have the courtesy to turn around.

"Well that was a dumb idea, " thought Betty as she began to walk away. As she turned towards her own cubicle Suzy turned around, suddenly, as if feeling her presence.

"Oh, I didn't know you were here" How can I help you? She asked in a professional, stiff almost defensive, tone of voice.

"Didn't you hear me?" Betty asked with a little edge in her voice. "I asked if I could help you with anything". Betty's eyebrows were pulled together in slight aggravation. Yet she couldn't help notice that Suzy stared at her mouth as she spoke." There was a long silence. Betty was not prepared for what was going to happen next. Suzy's head dropped down to her chest and she began to sob as she said in a choked, yet abnormally loud voice. "No one ever seemed to care enough to talk much with me, except for business." It's probably my fault, she continued, "No one knew that I had problems with my hearing and was just too proud to wear a hearing aide.

Betty stood stunned for a minute. She couldn't explain all the feelings that rushed her at one time. She then put her hand on her shoulder squeezed it and said, "It's alright." As her own tears traveled down her cheeks, she starred off into the distance as if waiting for more instructions and said.. "We all have a lot to learn" "But we don't have to do it alone."

There is a word in the word ENCOURGE and it is COURAGE. Sometimes it takes COURAGE to encourage someone when it's not popular. When everyone is against that person. When that person needs it the most. Betty made a decision to ENCOUAGE Suzy. She DID IT, She did it RIGHT THEN and she did it ANYWAY.

Some People Are Hard To Encourage

Everyone is not "ENCOURAGE FRIENDLY." Some of us are defensive, self-centered, and jealous. We are just unapproachable.

On top of that pile of personality mess we seldom encourage ourselves. Is it any wonder that we don't take time to encourage each other? Or folks hesitate to encourage us? Hebrews 3:13 says "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today; so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness". (NIV) God tells us to DO IT and DO IT NOW!

If like Suzy we are struggling with hidden self esteem issues but faking it on the outside. We need to be encouraged with Psalms 139. I call it the self-esteem chapter. And if we are struggling with anxiety we need to be encouraged with scriptures like Phillipians 4:4-9. I call that the stress chapter. There are plenty more where that came from. Check them out. But if we use scriptures to encourage others it is POWERFUL.

But Suppose You Don't Feel Like It?

We may not feel like giving flowers at funerals but many of us do it anyway. Yet we should be giving folks flowers while they are alive. When was the last time you dropped a note of encouragement to someone? When was the last time you told someone you appreciated them? When was the last time you told someone not to give up on their dreams. When was the last time you put you hand on someone's shoulder or gave them a hug? Those are flowers.

A young lady recently shared with me the way some people encouraged her during her bout with cancer. One person was a woman whose husband had recently died from cancer. The young lady recalled telling the woman reaching out to her "I feel guilty for not reaching out to you when he was sick…" I wish I had", she said. The other woman responded and said, "no, just do it for the next person who needs it."

She continued to tell me that her dry cleaners gave her free dry cleaning, a hospital volunteer came over and walked her dog; a friend from a major food distributor, came by weekly with frozen meals and brought bottled water-because she was too weak to cook or carry the water. Her sister made her meals; friends called and e-mailed her notes of encouragement; a friend came to the wig shop with her, before her hair fell out, as she cried at the sight of those mannequins without hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. A first grade teacher had her entire class write get-well cards. There were countless ways that people sent her flowers. In addition, she is still alive, strong and thriving.

Take a few minutes to read the following my 7 power-packed encouragement tips below. I challenge you to do them in the next 30 days.

1. Make a list of all the people you know who are sick at heart or in body. Pray for them. Ask for directions on how you can encourage them.

2. Make a list of all the people you know who are out of work or struggling with their careers or businesses. Pray for them. Ask for direction in how you can encourage them.

3. Make a list of people you know who have done something special for you in your lifetime. This will take more time. Give prayers of thanks and let them know, if they are still alive.

4. Include at least one hour in your schedule each week to send a card, call , email ,or visit.

5. Treat this scheduled time as if it was an important business meeting. A meeting with a promised financial success.

6. Do not expect a return response. It may not happen. Be assured that somebody will return it to you somehow, somewhere.

7. Record your personal stories of encouragement and share them with others. You will be surprised how it will begin to plant seeds of flowers that someone else can harvest-to give to someone else.

I personally challenge you to activate the steps above. Please let me know how well you are doing. I will be encouraged.

Remember

Encouragement says no to the spirit of hate
Encouragement says no to a critical spirit
Encouragement says no to a spirit of impatience
If someone needs a hug DO IT
If someone needs building up, DO IT NOW
If you don' feel like doing it DO IT ANYWAY!

Rosemary Horner, all rights reserved 2003©