Five Words of Encouragement
“Encourage one another and
build each other up.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
Last Monday was Labor Day, and to be honest, I was feeling a little bit out of sorts. Normally Bruce and I would head to the lake or the beach for the holiday weekend, but the past few months have been anything but normal for us. Football and family commitments have increased and required us to be available at home. I was determined, however, to have some Labor Day food, so I made potato salad and headed to the grocery store to purchase some meat for burgers.
Once there I quickly picked up the few items I needed and headed to the checkout line. The cashier failed to acknowledge my greeting and was less than pleasant, perhaps because she was wearing a mask or perhaps because she was working on Labor Day. The young man bagging my groceries, however, wore a bright smile as I said, “Hello.”
It took less than a minute for me to realize that he was a young adult with special needs. He worked quickly, chatting as he bagged my groceries.
“Are you having a good Labor Day?” he asked.
“Yes,” I responded absently. “How about you?”
“I have to work on Labor Day. It’s okay. I like to work. I have a job now. When I was in school I didn’t have to work on Labor Day.”
The young man’s response reminded me of our late son James Bruce. Each day when I picked him up in the afternoon from his adult day program, I would ask what he had done that day. James Bruce’s reply never varied. “I made money!” he said proudly.
Returning my attention to the young man bagging my groceries, I smiled and said, “I know what that’s like. I had 35 years of working on Labor Day before I retired.”
“Where did you work?” he asked as he bagged my last sack of groceries.
“At the hospital,” I responded.
“Thank you for your service,” he said.
“My what?” I asked.
“Your service. You worked at the hospital and helped people. So, thank you for your service.”
The kind young man put my last bag of groceries in the cart and I thanked him for his service. “You help people too!” I said as I left.
God knew I needed those five words of encouragement last week. I heard them again and again in my heart as I helped with a sick grandchild; taught a women’s Bible study; prepared talks for a couple of upcoming events; and took meals for an elderly church member.
Author John Maxwell once wrote, “Encouragement is oxygen to our souls; everyone needs it and they perform better when they get it….It (Encouragement) costs little to affirm others, yet pays great dividends.”
Maxwell is right. All of us need some oxygen for our souls. Wherever you are today, someone needs your encouragement, your affirmation, your smile, or your “Thank you for your service!” Who do you see faithfully serving others? Who will you affirm and encourage today?