“Every single person here had a first day,” I found myself saying to a young man of about 18 years old, a first-day employee of a large local bookstore chain. He was nervous and apologetic for taking so long to help me find a book. He relaxed a bit and smiled at my words. Once he realized I was in no hurry, I think he exhaled a bit because he seemed to relax and slow down while maintaining his focus.
This exchange also made me more patient because I remember how I felt every time I started a new job or moved to a different position within my company. Impatient with myself in these instances, I wanted to hurry up and know how to do my new job seamlessly and without having to ask questions.
Knowing how he must’ve been feeling, I asked the young man to look around. “Do you see all these employees doing their jobs with ease?” He answered, “Yes, ma’am.” I suggested that rather than being so hard on himself, he should take a moment to look around when he felt unsure and remember that every single person there had a first day and that no one walked in immediately, knowing what to do or how to do it. They all had questions.
Were my words profound? Not at all. I simply took the opportunity to encourage someone who was being too hard on himself. The only cost of encouraging others is a willingness to do so as opportunities present themselves. Life can be difficult for all of us.
There is a lot of truth in “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” We need only to engage with others in a genuine way to know we are all walking around with burdens, guilt, illness, the hard task of caregiving, grief, stress and other matters we can so easily commit to prayer.
I recently set an intention to be more gracious to others, even if I did so in silence. Whether I pass someone walking down the street while I’m driving, see a stressed mom in the grocery store, or see a barista just starting her shift, I say a little prayer for each person, such as, “Lord, I pray that she has a good day and that her customers are kind and patient,” or, “Father, I pray that you would bless this person with reliable transportation.”
As it started to become a habit, it helped me to become more aware of those around me, which made me more aware of how much each of us needs to be seen and encouraged. Even a smile and a “Hello, how are you?” can brighten someone’s countenance. Recently, while standing in line at the grocery store, I said to a woman ahead of me, in all sincerity, “That color looks so beautiful on you. It really brings out your complexion!” She burst into a smile that was as warm as pure sunshine!
We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by encouraging others.
The funny thing about encouragement - perhaps the blessing of the act - is that it makes the encourager feel as good as the one being encouraged. Today, when everyone seems to be in a rush, and we often feel overwhelmed, the gift of encouragement is even more important to practice.
If you’re willing to share, I’d love to hear about a time when you encouraged someone and how it brightened both your mood and theirs.
About our author: Lisa Lee Mills is a retired professional who has recently joined Substack and writes poignantly about all aspects of life and faith. This post originally appeared in her own Substack publication, and she has allowed us to use it as a guest post today. We want to spread her message that age is no barrier to being an encourager.
It’s such a treat to get unique points of view from our guest writers. If you have a story idea for the Inkspired Community newsletter, direct message
. | A guest post by
|