Encouraging Words Bring Out The Best

Encouraging Words Bring Out the Best

If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. Romans 12:8

She was a shy, quiet girl with long, stringy, ash-blond hair. I didn’t even know which child she was out of the fifty noisy fifth graders I’d been working with for nine weeks in the artist-in-residence program. Although most of the kids vied for attention and recognition, this child sat at the back, her nose in a book.

I called her name and asked, “Brandy, would you come up and read your marvelous poem entitled ‘My Hand’? Students, listen carefully, because you’re going to love the imagery and word choice in this poem.” Slowly she walked up to the author’s chair in our makeshift reader’s theater and read her poem aloud to a warm, enthusiastic response.

“I didn’t know you were such a good writer!” one girl said.

“Share some of your other poems,” other kids suggested. Slowly, Brandy began to blossom as the class poet.

A few days later I realized how much my few words of encouragement had meant to her when I received this note of thanks: “Dear Mrs. Fuller. These few weeks have been the BEST days of my whole life! YOU brought out the person, the writer inside, that I didn’t realize I had. I’ll always remember you and cherish you for what you did for me. Your enthusiastic student, Brandy.”

There are children like Brandy all around you and me who are desperate for an encouraging word. Kids have so much to learn and are so often criticized instead of built up by the adults around them. Our words of encouragement can bring out the best in them. When we catch them doing something kind, helpful, or creative and comment on it, they get a snapshot of what they are becoming. When we recognize kids’ gifts or talents, we motivate them to be all that God meant them to be. Is there a young person you could encourage today?

—CHERI

Father, forgive me for so often pointing out what is wrong instead of telling kids what they are doing right. Help me to speak encouraging words today, and may they bear fruit tomorrow and in the days to come.

Take with you words, strong words of courage: Words that have wings! . . . Tall words, words that reach up, and growing words, with deep life within them.

—JO PETTY, INSPIRATIONAL WRITER