Another tough word given the time we are living in. I now realize this is not an easy word. Not at all. First off, true encouragement does not come from a cheerleader on the sidelines. It also should never come in the form of false hope. False hope is after all just false hope.

Encouragement is not a pat on the back or a simple nudge to take the next step. I’m thinking that encouragement is more like making an investment in someone. It is not telling someone “things will get better soon” or “it’s not as bad as it seems.”

There is a certain amount of energy that transfers in the act of encouragement. It is this energy that concerns me at this moment. Encouragement is energy. To be honest I feel that level of energy right now inside myself is running low which means I need encouragement as much as others do. And if we all are running low on this energy as I suspect many of us are then where are we going to find it in ourselves to encourage others? How do we encourage each other when we all are running on empty? And if we are running close to empty now how are we going to make it in a crisis that may last for a very long time?

Here is what I’ve come up with, encouragement starts with belief. Belief is the spark that gets the motor running and once the motor is running the energy starts to flow. It is my belief in myself, my belief in you and your belief in me.

Note – In this time of the virus we are all wrestling with the spiritual, physical, mental and the emotional parts of life. We are all at different places in our respective journeys and all of us will look at these words from a different perspective. These are words all have relevance in the spiritual, physical, mental and the emotional.