"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
1 Thessalonians 5:11
As I was praying and reflecting on what to write about today, I kept thinking about how God wants us to treat others. I wasn't just thinking about the commandment Jesus gave when He told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, but I was pondering how God wants us to treat those we already love. After certain interactions I have often realized that I actually treat strangers better than I treat those I am closest to. Before we were married, my now husband and I would be in a pretty intense argument and we would pull up to the drive-thru window and one second I am angrily talking to him and the next second I am as polite as I can be talking to the lady in the window. You may have found yourself asking the same question I ask myself during times like this. Why do I do this?
I think a big part of why I do this is that I know that the stranger doesn't know anything about me other than the impression I am giving him or her in that moment. So, I put on a sweet face hoping to sway him or her to thinking that I am a pretty great person. However, those that I already love, that are closest to me, know who I really am. There's no point in hiding it, right? In the verse above, we are commanded to encourage and build each other up. The apostle Paul was writing these words in a letter to the church in Thessalonica. He was not saying to encourage and build up the strangers that you meet on the road, although that wouldn't be a bad thing to do. He was telling those in congregation with one another, who already knew one another, to encourage and build each other up.
God gave us our friends and family for that particular reason. We are a support system for each other. There are too many times I have found myself looking out for number one, when my friends or family were in need of open arms, listening ears, and an understanding, compassionate heart. I could have been the one to give that to them, but I was too concerned with all of the things that was going wrong during my day instead. Then, when I was in need and wanting to talk to friends it was no surprise that I couldn't find anyone to talk to. It wasn't that they didn't want to talk with me and help me out, but it was more of me keeping a wall between us because I knew that I hadn't been there for them and I was ashamed of that.
To have a friend, you have to first be a friend. This was something I should have already known, but the Holy Spirit whispered it to my heart as a sudden realization recently. Being a friend to someone is not easy, which is something that I had always assumed. It takes dedication of time and energy to have the kind of friendship most people desire. God created us to crave human interaction. He did not create us to do things alone and live our lives by ourselves. He created us to help and depend on one another, just as He created Eve to be a companion for Adam. He also created us to have a close relationship with Him, the Father.
Imagine that each relationship in your life had a bucket. Each person in a relationship can fill the bucket by doing kind things for and dedicating time to the other person. On the other hand, each person can dip out of the bucket by not doing kind things or dedicating time to the other person. If you are struggling with a relationship right now, ask yourself "Am I a filler or a dipper?" Most of the time when I have asked myself, unfortunately I would have to say that I was the dipper, but with God's help, I am trying to change that.
Pictured above are my bridesmaids and me from my wedding day. I included this picture, because these ladies have often been the ones to encourage and build me up when my world felt like it was falling apart. They encouraged and built me up from day one of our friendships and during the stress of the wedding planning process. When I think of how God wants us to treat our friendships, I think of these ladies. I have had challenging times with each of these friendships, but God has given us strength in overcoming each one.
My challenge to myself and you today is this. Reflect on your own relationships. Are you encouraging and building your loved ones up as Paul encouraged in his letter to the church or are you the one who is always being encouraged and built up. Use this as an opportunity to thank God for the relationships He has built in your life and thank Him for the friends and family He has given you. If you don't attend church or you haven't in a while, plan to go this Sunday. Church is a great way for us to be in connection with those who love to encourage others and it is a place where we ourselves can be an encouragement. It feels good to build others up!
Heavenly Father, thank you for surrounding us with people who genuinely love us and love to encourage us. Please help us to have thankful hearts for these people and open our hearts to opportunities when we can encourage and build them up today. Bless each person who reads this and those in their support systems. Help us to all work together as we strive to live as Jesus did. We love you. Amen.
*If you are in need of prayer today, leave a comment below or send me a private message using the form on the "Contact Me" page. I would love to pray for you and encourage you. Also, if you like what you read, submit your e-mail in the box in the top right corner of the home page. You will receive my posts directly to your e-mail. May God bless you as you find joy in the truth of Christ!
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