Encourage with the Words of Life
I placed the cardboard box on my hospital bed and rolled my wheelchair closer to unpack it. I was two weeks into a five-week stay at a spinal cord injury rehab center, discouraged and alone due to a COVID outbreak that kept out all visitors. Thus the box. My friends found a clever way to "visit" from a distance by mailing a box full of gifts to cheer me up and urge me on.
The first thing I picked up was a framed photo of all seven of us taken just days before my injury. There we were swapping Christmas gifts in our fluffy red and white sweaters. The photo was a visual reminder that they were with me, a reminder I desperately needed. On the back of the frame was a lettered fist bump, "You got this." I placed the frame on the ledge across from my bed where I could see the faces of my friends from anywhere in the room.
Next, I opened a card with words of love and encouragement. Under that was a pink fuzzy blanket, chocolate mints, and bottles of lotion—representations of tender care they longed to deliver by hand. Finally, I pulled out a hand-drawn poster with Philippians 4:13 written large enough to read from across the room.
My girlfriends, whose spiritual gifts range from teaching to mercy, had all tapped into the spiritual gift of encouragement. Their words of love mixed with God’s words of life to deliver the most effective encouragement of all.
We were all reeling from my life-altering injury. I’m sure they struggled with what to say in my grief and loneliness. They wisely understood I didn’t need platitudes which sound nice but are empty of true help. I needed words to touch the deep needs of my soul and to nudge me toward the Giver of life.
A friend in need of encouragement needs words that acknowledge her deep hurt and words that lift her eyes to the One who is able to do more than she can imagine (Ephesians 3:20). She needs words of life. We don’t have those words, but the Bible does. Peter exclaimed in John 6:68, “Lord…You have the words of eternal life."
While in rehab, I couldn’t make my body do the most basic things. No matter how much willpower I applied, I could not make my legs move. I exhausted myself with trying. Then, I’d see the poster and read God’s words aloud, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Thank goodness because I have no strength at all, I thought. A wave of relief washed over me followed by a feeling close to being hugged. My friends knew what I truly needed and were there to provide it.
Question for Reflection:
Who needs life-giving words of encouragement from you?
