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PROGRAM D-7971
I’m wondering, have you noticed that most working environments are flooded with discouragement? As Christians, we are called to be encouragers. Isaiah 35:3-4 tells us to “Encourage the exhausted and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, ‘Take courage, fear not.’” In 1 Thessalonians 5:11 we are told, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another…”
I was thinking about what I could do to encourage you and help you become an even more effective encourager on your job, and I think we have something that you will want to use. It’s called Pass-Along Encouragement, and it’s a pack of encouraging cards which you can give away.
All you have to do to get these Pass-Along Encouragement cards, is to make a commitment that you will give away five cards every week until they’re all gone. Obviously, I won’t be able to check up on you but I will trust that, if you request them, you are agreeing to give away these cards—five per week for the next three weeks.
Each day this week I am going to give you some examples of the cards and how you can use them. Each card has a quote or saying on one side, and a coordinating scripture verse on the other.
For instance, one says, “God created a marvelous, incredibly detailed work in you, and he’ll help you discover what to do with it.” The verse on the other side is Psalm 139:14: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.”
If you work with someone who is struggling with their significance, or is feeling under-valued and unappreciated, don’t you think this card would brighten their day? You would need to pray for the right opening and the best way to present the card, but that means you’d be praying more often for your coworkers. What an idea! At lunch you might say, “I know what it’s like to have bad days—or even bad weeks!—when everything seems dark. I thought of you when I read this card, and thought it might cheer you up.” You could even add that you’re praying for that person, if appropriate and true.
I have a vision of hundreds of you becoming intentional about passing along encouragement where you work through the use of these cards, and watching how God will use it to improve relationships and change environments. God’s Word never returns void, so I challenge you to become a workplace encourager.