- Coach, you didn't give my son enough playing time on the court.
- Pastor, your sermons I don't follow.
- Doctor, you didn't take time to listen to all of my health problems.
-Sales Representative, your presentation to the clients are not convincing.
-Teacher, it was not fair to assign my daughter that much homework on homecoming weekend.
-Mother, you always give her what she wants and never let me do what I want.
-Ob/Gyn, my other doctor promised to deliver me no matter if he was on call or not.
-Musician, are you really going to try to do 2 new songs, the congregation can never follow that.
-Dentist, that shot hurt more than the last dentist I saw.
-Volunteer, why would you want to decorate that way, we used green last year?
-Surgeon, are those suture marks going to show forever?
I recently talked to a friend who was embattled in a bitter professional conflict. The person screamed at my friend and said I will make it so you never work in this career again. The conflict detrimentally affected his health, his relationship with his family, and his ability to function in his career. It sucked away his spirit of volunteerism. He prayed and prayed, but there was no resolution. He nearly quit his career out of disgust, depression, and discouragement. But in the 11th hour after 6 years the conflict was resolved. My friend says it is not forgotten. It haunts him everyday. He can't even make a minor decision without reflecting back to those ugly years. I asked him if there is anything that helps him today. He said the following, "Yes. Every time I doubt my abilities I open up my bottom desk drawer. Here I keep all the pictures, all the thank-you notes, all the encouraging letters I have ever received. And I read through them one by one. Many I have memorized by now. And it takes 10's of letters to even begin to repress that one angry person I faced years ago. I would tell everyone to have a drawer set aside just for that reason."
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thess. 5:11)
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Cor. 13:11)
1 comment:
So true. The power of our tongue is monumental for good and for destruction, sometimes when we don't even realize it. It is easy to underestimate the encouragement of a good word or a written note. I thank my mother for always having us sit down and write notes. That still hasn't gone out of style. Meredith, thank you for your sweet note. Love, Grammie
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