The Overcomer Life

Over the years, I have heard many different definitions about what encouragement really is and how to not only to be encouraged but also to encourage others.

I grew up thinking encouragement was basically flattery. Flattery is fake. It’s false love. Flattery doesn’t love anyone. Flattery is talking about something nice in front of someone and then talking bad about them when they walk away. Flattery makes people feel good while ignoring what they need to hear.

The word encourage comes from the word courage, meaning to strengthen someone up. It might come in the form of a harsh truth that someone needs to hear, but with the hope and strength to help them through it. People may not like what they need to hear, so that’s why what happens afterward is needed. What happens after gives them the strength to endure, the strength to overcome, the strength to rise above. Encouragement is knowing the truth but strengthening to come up higher. Encouragement is helping someone out of the pit they are in. If they don’t accept what they need to hear first, then there would be no way of becoming strengthened to overcome anything. Acceptance must come first. Accepting what I needed to hear was hard many times. I avoided it for a long time. I realized that I could never be strengthened if I didn’t accept where I was currently at. I needed to face the truth before I could have strength to move forward. Encouragement comes after accepting the truth that we need to hear. Encouragement offers the way out of the chaos. Encouragement offers hope out of defeat. Encouragement gives us strength to get over our sins. Encouragement helps us see the goodness of God. The harsh reality of being a sinner, but the grace and love of God that leads us to Jesus and His salvation of our lives.