Be an Encourager

With the weather turning warmer, we got our bikes out of the garage this week to go for a ride. We were so excited to get going that it wasn't until we were a few blocks from home that we realized that our tires needed air. We returned home, pumped up the tires, and wow, what a difference it made both in comfort and ease of effort.

Because we are both family therapists and we think about stuff like this, when we returned from our ride, we joked about how our experience with pumping up our tires was a metaphor for the power of encouraging one another. Any of us can use a little air in our tires, a little extra encouragement from time to time, to make our travels a bit less bumpy. Just as over a long winter, the air slowly leaks out of bike tires, life itself can slowly deflate our self-esteem and sense of well-being. When this happens, expressions of encouragement can go a long way in pumping up our emotional "tires."

Be an encourager. The first three words in the quote in the box above by Dave Willis are so simple that it would be easy to miss their power. Offering encouraging words to your child, partner, friend, colleague, family member, or even a stranger, is so simple, and we can often see the positive effect immediately. It's that easy and that powerful.

The word "courage" derives from the same root as the Latin word for heart, "cor,' and in Old French, the word "corage." The prefix "en" means "to cause to be in," or "to put in" and so together we can see that to encourage another person means to put heart into that person. Think of that the next time you text someone a heart emoji, a beautiful and simple expression of love and encouragement. Think of it also the next time you give a bit of your heart to someone who is in need of your support.

Your encouragement might be just the air they need in their tires to make their ride just a little smoother and easier right now.

Making It Personal.

1. Is there someone in your life who could use some encouragement right now? Think of something specific you could do or say.
2. How could you be more accepting and encouraging of yourself? Again, think of something specific.