I have and have had many wonderful encouragers along the way. My mother is a natural encourager not only in my life, but in many other’s lives.  Even as a teenager, i took notice of how she thanklessly, consistently and abundantly gave the gift of encouragement no matter what was  going on in her own life.  She has this amazing gift of making people feel genuinely loved and valued.

Think of those who are an encouragement to you, both people who have been rooting for you for years, and those who pass through once in a while and boost you up. Yes, they may be naturally and happily giving to you in this way, but never take them for granted. They are human and have hurts, needs and life obstacles just like you. They may not complain or share what is going on in their own lives, but they need encouragement too.

Life is so busy and compartmentalized, but please make the time and find a way to surprise an encourager that you may know by depositing JOY back into their lives. You may not even realize that this simple act of love might just be blessing them at a time when they really need it.

As challenging as each experience was, there was also to be found, the blessing of spiritual growth through it. But these growth opportunities came only when I chose to not operate in “victim” mode and purposefully sought God’s will in each situation. Mind you, getting to this place in each trial did not always come as a triumphant victory. As I am sure all of us have done, there were times that I chose to let my weaknesses and pride reign in my reactions and failed miserably. That alone is enough to remind us of the amazing gift found in 1 Peter 5:10…

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all GRACE, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

I pray in 2011, that you will find JOY in the PROMISES of Christ, especially through your trials and failures. May we all look for the bright spots and even the tough lessons, for they are rooted in TRUTH. And above all else, keep lovin’on those who hurt you along the way.

Imagine what it would feel like to physically train for something for months and months and push your body to the outer limits, only to be jeered at and persecuted along the way. In Lance’s simple statement has much truth. We have all been in his shoes in one way or another. Despite the cheerful encouragement of people in our lives, it just takes one negative comment to make us fall. In some cases, when the negativity of others flows abundantly and begins to envelop us, we just simply feel like quitting the race entirely. That’s when we need to seek out higher ground and put our faith in something far greater. Something that drowns out the noise. Allow your relationship with Christ to be your omnipresent coach as you navigate through life. And on the flip-side, BE that person in someone else’s life who’s loud cheers and encouragement can always be heard.

Dear Friends,
Have you said goodbye to a friend or family member who has lost the battle with cancer? Have you celebrated with a survivor who has had victory over this disease? Or perhaps you are standing with someone who is currently fighting the good fight? I have had, and am doing, all of these things.

This August, I am participating in the LIVESTRONG® Challenge.  I’m going to ride my bike 70 miles and raise at least $1,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Please consider supporting me in this effort by vising my LiveSTRONG page.

THANKS!

- suzan

This post is dedicated to my 14 year old daughter, who i am tirelessly trying to teach, that even though you can’t always control your circumstances and obstacles in life, you CAN CHOOSE how to react to them. Who knows, by choosing to not wallow in self pity and anger, we might even have opportunities to let joy surface from it…. to inspire others, help others and even leave  a legacy that ultimately points to the ONE Creator who has control over everything.

A few years back, I volunteered on a weekly basis to deliver meals for our community’s Meals On Wheels program. The recipients of these meals were all elderly folks who were more or less considered “shut-ins” (terrible label).  For the most part, the majority of the participants seemed eager for the brief company each delivery brought, as it was an opportunity to vent their woes and have contact with people.

Most of my “special friends”, as I liked to call them, were terribly grumpy. Yes, they had many reasons for unhappiness; illness, loneliness, physical limitations, loss of freedom. And even though I had some of my own life-circumstances happening at the same time and most certainly didn’t need to be around “grumblers”, there was something refreshing about the challenge of trying to make my friends laugh, or even smile.

Everyone but Fred. Fred didn’t need my help. From simple observations, I suspect that Fred had more reasons for unhappiness than any of the others. He was a widower trying to stay in his established home, he had severe hearing loss, had several illnesses, was just mobile enough to take care of basic functions (barely), and his hand was crippled and needed all of his food cut up for him ­– he couldn’t even open a milk carton by himself.

Fred was happy. No, Fred was silly, and it was delightful! Like clockwork, at 11:30, Fred would putter (in the slowest sense imaginable) to the door and crack it open, putter back into his kitchen and sit at the counter. He turned on the Price Is Right, cranked the volume WAY up and waited for me.  The second I would shut my car door in his driveway, he would yell out in his booming voice, “It’s about time!, I’m starving in here!”, followed by a low, self pleasing “heh, heh, heh”. I loved it, it was like a game. I would yell an equally obnoxious comment back at him and we’d laugh. Unless I really probed, he never complained about anything. He found ways to turn a mundane schedule and terrible circumstances into reasons to laugh.

This short weekly visit contrasted many other parts of my life and made it seem all the richer. I do miss my visits. Looking back I know that he blessed me far more than I ever blessed him.

I want to be like Fred, don’t you?

My sister sent me this fun link. If you are a Jackson Pollock fan, you’ll enjoy it. If you have no clue who that was, you’ll still enjoy it.

Have a wonderful weekend.

This one was made while waiting for a huge image to render on my computer.