August 29, 2020
On this Satisfied Saturday, I am grateful for those who have the gift of encouragement. You know, the ones who help you go the extra mile (or even take the first step) because they cheer you on. And I thought this from the WELCA Blog, Daily Grace, adapted from “Unexpected Praise” by Joan Sellers in the April, 2004, issue of Lutheran Woman Today, says it best:
I have discovered that a person often becomes what she is told she will become. As I look back at stray comments made by strangers, friends, teachers, and parents, I realize the power that we human beings have over one another. We can make a difference in someone’s life just by what we say, or even by a look.
When I was a child, we moved from Minnesota to the suburbs of Seattle. The first Sunday there, my family slipped into a pew at a nearby congregation. I hoped no one noticed us in our newness.
At the first hymn, we swept to our feet with the rest of the congregation, and the ringing sound of “Holy, Holy, Holy” flowed across the church. In the pew ahead of us was a stooped elderly woman. As the singing continued, she turned slowly around and looked at my mother. Mom was singing with her usual gusto. The woman’s eyes lit up, and she smiled from ear to ear.
That one gesture from a stranger in a new church home gave me the gift of appreciation for a musical voice. That woman’s smile opened a door.
May we all, at one time or another, be the one who encourages. And thank you to those in the past, and still today, who are ones that encourage me.
Blessings. And prayers.
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