Holiday Rhythms: Encouragement
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This season is full of joy and beauty with fall colors, treats, white lights, tinsel, gifts, and goodness. The family I married into does Thanksgiving big. We get together for a long weekend of laughter, story sharing, coffee, and favorite foods. I have friends who look forward to Christmas all year long. They are always preparing for Christmas, checking gifts off the list throughout the year, creating a dinner theme and menu, and collecting items to add to the decorations. In November, they switch out the everyday dishes with the Christmas season dishes, decorate the house, and put up the tree. Their childlike excitement and anticipation are wonderful and inspiring. New Year’s Eve entertains the past and prepares for the future year. It’s like the finale of the season, it’s whip cream on pumpkin pie, a bow on a gift, tinsel tossed on a tree all celebrated in a ten second countdown!
In this holiday series, we have been gifted with the wisdom of rhythms. Debbie mentored us in getting in sync this holiday season, encouraging us to take note of our energy fountains and zappers. Linh defined for us the importance of hospitality and encouraged us to cheerfully host space in our home and heart, inviting us to partake in the rhythm of loving others like Jesus does. Christine guided us into being intentional about gratitude, encouraging us to embrace the rhythm of giving thanks in all circumstances.
Each holiday has a cadence, tempo, and rhythm. During this time, holiday cheer blares everywhere! “It’s the best time of the year.”
And.
I don’t mean to crush your candy canes, but let’s be real. There is sometimes drear with the holiday season, too. While twinkling lights help to brighten the short days and long winter nights, there are many things about this season that are difficult to wrap up and make pretty. This time of year is cold, dark, and challenging in many ways. It can also be a lonely, stressful time with surprise anxieties and secret sadness.
For me, Halloween kicks off the tricks and treats in my soul. We moved from Washington to Arizona a few years ago, leaving our families, life-long friends, and community. Moving here has been amazing.
And.
It has been hard. The holiday season often means missing family gatherings, a deep grief related to disconnectedness and the loss of relationships and navigating how to create new traditions from a distance. My internal stress and anxiety ramp up, and sadness feels like a weighted blanket.
And. Yes, AND!
I feel joy and hope! I experience God’s goodness and encouragement in the good and the hard, the joy and the sorrow, the light and the dark. God encourages me through both.
Which brings us to the purpose and power of the rhythm of encouragement.
If we break down this word, encouragement, we will understand the depth of its meaning a little better. First, “en” means to put in or into. The root of the word stems from “corage” and “cor” is Latin for heart. Thus, the middle of this word is heart and courage. When “ment” is added to the word, the verb, or action of encouraging, changes to a noun. It becomes a person, place, or thing.
My prayer is for you to know this extraordinary gift of encouragement that transcends seasons, emotions, and circumstances. There are biblical characters who provide divine examples of this transcending gift from God. The Bible is full of personal experiences of examples of people, places and things that give world-class encouragement for us all.
Let’s first review the story of Moses in Exodus that Debbie introduced at the start of this series. I love the story she shared, and how God prepared Moses to be able to receive the good advice his father-in-law gave him. Just before chapter 18, Moses is overseeing a battle between the Amalekites and the Israelites. Moses is on the mountain top, while the soldiers are at battle. While high on the hill, Moses and his friends Hur and Aaron discover that if Moses’ hands are raised up the Israelites are winning, if he lowers them, they start losing. So, they prop his arms up and help hold his hands to heaven. Lives depended on the three friends working together to stay focused on God who was above and beyond the battle. What a practical example of encouragement.
Another Old Testament encouragement story comes from the life of Job. Job was a person who is referred to as a friend of God’s, and at one point had the perfect looking life. He was faithful, obedient, and trusted God completely. Then turmoil and tragedy interrupted his happy, comfortable life. When he confided in and listened to the advice of his friends, he was left feeling deflated and more defeated. Throughout his dark and difficult season, he continued to believe and trust in God’s promises. In fact, Job actually schools his friends on how to be better at encouraging. Job teaches them that the best way to deal with discouraging events is with encouragement. If they were in his situation, here is what he said he would say to them, “my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.” Job knows that God is with him and had the courage to believe it no matter what.
Encouragement is a person “in it” with us, holding us up with a hug, a high five, shared tears, laughter, or ice cream. It is a person silently supporting just by being near or lovingly speaking words of comfort, putting into our heart the courage to trust God and his promises rather than our emotions, other people’s off base ideas, or circumstances. Moses, his friends, and Job (maybe his friends too, eventually) understood the power of encouraging others, and oneself by holding fast to God. Moses’ and Job’s stories share with us how people can be encouragement. Being together in the battle of life, sharing experiences, helping to hold each other up, learning from each other and reminding one another of God’s goodness and faithfulness is encouraging.
Luke’s gospel presents details about Mary’s experience that provide assurance for us when we are considering what God desires for our life. Mary, the mother of Jesus, said “yes!” to the trials and tribulations that would come with being unmarried and pregnant, raising the Son of God, and surviving the death of her son. She received holy encouragement when the angel of the Lord calmed her worries by saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” And he left her with the promise, “Nothing is impossible with God.” Without a doubt these key words nurtured her soul and aided her heart, uplifting her to do something others would not understand.
Mary’s willingness to say “yes” to the thing that would forever alter her life, births courage into our heart. The thing asked of her, encourages, and prepares us to deeply know God and trust that nothing is impossible if God asks us to do a thing.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” exclaims Paul while chained up in a Philippian jail cell. That’s right. The book of Philippians is written from jail, and it is packed with encouragement. Rather than acting gloomy and grumpy about the unfair situation, Paul is full of joy and enthusiasm over the good things happening in a place he would not have chosen to be spending his days or nights. When I read this book, it seems to have the tempo of a sideline cheerleader. In chapter one, he writes, “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” He then goes on to say, in verse 27, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Just a few verses later, Paul illustrates for us how knowing Jesus and being united in him, puts courage in our heart to live a life of love with the same attitude of Jesus no matter what place in life we find ourselves.
I love the quote from John Maxwell, “Encouragement is oxygen for the soul.” There is a rhythm to our breathing and rhythm to our living. We know we need oxygen to breathe, and to live. Oxygen fills our lungs. Just the same, we need encouragement to breathe and live. Encouragement fills our soul.
No matter the people you are near, no matter the thing you are going through, and no matter the place where you find yourself, encouragement is necessary and possible.
So how do you find the right rhythm of encouragement in this season?
In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, verses 28-30 (The Message), Jesus offers you this, “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
This encouraging plan from Jesus offers oxygen for our body and soul. This season, walk with Jesus, work with him, live like he does, trusting God. Like Moses, Job, Mary, Paul, and Jesus, we may experience the unforced rhythms even in this season, especially in this season.
Here are some fun ideas to practice, and experience, the rhythm of encouragement.
1. Breathe. Inhale, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Exhale, “He restores my soul.”
2. Carry scripture with you. Write it on your “to do” list. Here’s a good one.
“A generous person will prosper, whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25)
3. Be a world-class encourager! Be creative with your words and actions. Smile, smile, smile. Smile at everyone! (It burns calories and is contagious.)
My prayer for you is this…
May you be blessed with encouragement this season. May the Lord fill your heart and soul with the oxygen and courage you need. You are dearly loved. Amen.
Watch the YouTube Video Devotion HERE.