Be Positive

God has been speaking to me about many things lately.  Not that He wasn't before, I just wasn't really open to hearing what He had to say.  I've finally started to pay attention a little-bit, and boy-- is there a lot to hear!

It almost seems overwhelming all of the things He is laying on my heart and opening my eyes to (interestingly enough, these things aren't the answers I was "demanding" of Him when  I first started listening... He has something better for me than what I wanted).  There are so many things going on, and I can't multi-task.  Which message should I pay attention to first?

Thankfully-- in His typical, God-like fashion-- He has woven all of these things together so they wrap-around and really, none of them would make sense without the others!  For the sake of clarity in writing, though, I am just sharing one topic right now:

ENCOURAGEMENT

Through my own immense need for encouragement, God has shown me how important (and, quite frankly, EASY) it is to encourage others.  Sometimes its a simple "Thanks for doing that" or "I really appreciate you taking the time to ____" or even "I like your ____!"  

And sometimes encouragement isn't even intentional.  Has anyone every told  you a story about something they did, or how something made them felt, and suddenly you were like "Preach it, Sister!"  It is so refreshing to know we are not alone, right?

So I've been trying to work on encouraging.  Saying encouraging things, telling my stories, and even just being there for someone.  Isn't it encouraging to realize that someone wants to hang out with you and get to know you?

So, in the midst of my "focus on encouragement" my office-mate, good friend, and major encourager, Mindy, stumbled across this article on the antonym of encouragement.  Go read it now.  No, seriously-- I will wait for you.

Good article, right?

So Mindy and I started trying to figure out how to be more positive, and especially to make our office more positive, not just a place for people to feel free to complain. We kicked around a few ideas that haven't worked in the past, and so then I said

"How about if as soon as someone walks into our office, we say something positive to them?"

The words weren't even out of my mouth when someone walked into our office.  Perfect!  Let's get started.

Mindy pounces right away with a positive comment.  Go Mindy!  And honestly, I really think her positivity changed the tone of the conversation.  It would have been a lot more negative if she had not started on an upbeat note.  Since I'm and introvert (and because the conversation didn't really involve me) I didn't really get a positive (or negative) word in edgewise.  So as our coworker was leaving our office, I said "Sally!" (name and job duties have been changed to protect the innocent) "Thanks for cleaning the toilets every day."  Simple enough, right?  Just a simple "Thanks for doing what you do every day."

Sally just stared at me for a second, and she said "Thank you so much... I can't even tell you what that means to me.  You're going to make me cry."  And she wasn't lying.  She took a deep breath, pulled herself together, and said "It has been so hard and frustrating to get those toilets cleaned every day, but I have been working really hard at it, and it is really taking a lot less time to do it, and it is so nice to have someone appreciate it."

She stopped in before she left for the day, and thanked me again, and reiterated how much it meant to her.

Mindy and I sat there stunned.  Wow.  That worked well.  Talk about instant results.

I am not sharing this to point out what I good encourager I am... encouragement is not my instinct.  This is a testament to God's work and movement, and His power to overcome our imperfections and deficits.  It is clearly an act of God that a critical spirit such as myself would be used by God to encourage someone else.

So, the point is, stop complaining and start encouraging.  You will feel better, and everyone around you will feel better.  And it will make God smile.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up bones." Proverbs 17:22