When Encouragement Feels Lacking
How my need for encouragement left me drained
Encouraging one another is God’s idea. It’s a good gift designed for our flourishing. Countless times in Scripture, we are admonished to encourage and edify each other because ultimately, God’s love is beautifully and powerfully seen through the uplifting words we speak and the care we offer to one another.
But can I just offer this convicting truth:
God never gives us something edifying to our faith without making sure we first rely on Him as the source of it.
I’ve personally seen the vicious cycle in my own mental and spiritual health when I’ve been the one encouraging but not receiving encouragement. Consequently, I’ve seen how draining it becomes when you’re only counting on people to supply what God can only sustain.
And the truth is we don’t always encourage others the way we are called. Sometimes we miss the opportunity or we choose to withhold or we simply aren’t aware that it’s needed.
Through those seasons, God lovingly revealed something deeper in me: how encouragement–something good and God-given-had subtly taken on too much weight in my heart. I saw it in how deeply it affected me when I didn’t receive it. I saw it in how easily pride could sneak in when I viewed myself as the one who always showed up for others.
Even good gifts, if we’re not careful, can become misplaced anchors when they pull our worship away from God and place it on ourselves or others.
This isn’t to discourage encouragement. By all means, please do the work of God in encouraging one another. It keeps us from being hardened by sin (Hebrews 3:13). It keeps us enduring in the faith (1 Thessalonians 5:11). It keeps us reminded of God’s goodness (Colossians 3:16). It grounds us in our moments of suffering and trials (Colossians 2:2).
Scripture shows us clearly: encouragement matters deeply to our faith walk.
But for the one who is waiting for encouragement to feel known or significant, please know and trust His delight of you as His child, right where you are. May His nearness be tangible in your weariness. May His Word revive your heart to the truth that He sees you, even if others don’t. May His Spirit empower you to keep going.
And for the one who is withholding encouragement from others, know that this means of grace is best experienced when it’s freely given. It not only uplifts others but it has the power to encourage our faith as well.
Ultimately, may we make it a habit to encourage ourselves in the Lord our God just as David did(1 Samuel 30:6)...rooted in Him first and then poured out in love to one another.