grace given me

Recently, while my husband was away on a trip, my sister came to visit me. We’re working together on a Daniel Fast cookbook and devotional—something that feels both exhilarating and, if I’m honest, a little daunting. I’m not a published author. I’m not a famous chef. I simply had a bold idea, and my sister encouraged me to pursue it. Not only with words, but with action.

This is the second time she has traveled to cook alongside me, helping refine recipes and take photos for the book. While she was here, I told her how much courage I feel when she’s beside me. How much momentum I have with her in my corner. And then it hit me: The word courage is hidden inside the word encouragement. True encouragement doesn’t just flatter people—it strengthens them. It breathes courage into weary hearts.

In the Bible, Judges 6 tells the story of the Israelites being oppressed by the Midianites. They were living in fear, hiding their food and resources from enemy raids. A man named Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress—an unusual place meant to stay hidden and avoid being seen. Yet, God approached him with an assignment: to rescue his people from the Midianites. God was asking an afraid, hiding man to become a deliverer when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said:

“Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” — Judges 6:12 (NLT)

Did you catch that?

Gideon was hiding, yet God called him a mighty hero. God spoke to who Gideon could become, not merely where he currently was. Gideon eventually believed the Lord and stepped into his calling to rescue the Israelites. If God had only spoken to Gideon’s present condition, Gideon may never have become who he was created to be.

Psalm 139 says, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!” It makes me wonder: If God’s thoughts toward us are precious and countless, why are we so often quicker to correct than encourage? Shame and condemnation have never led anyone into greatness.

Romans 2:4 reminds us that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. Kindness changes people. Encouragement strengthens people. Words matter deeply because, as Proverbs 18:21 says: “The tongue can bring death or life.” So many people are trapped in inadequacy, insecurity, and self-doubt. But something powerful happens when someone “calls out the gold” in another person.

We all hear stories about that one teacher, that one coach, that one person who spoke life into someone at just the right moment—and it changed everything. They chose to believe those words, and suddenly a new future became possible.

I recently read a line from Joyce Meyer that has stayed with me: “We all do things wrong, but we also do things right.” What if we became people who spoke to what’s right in others? What if we encouraged potential instead of constantly magnifying flaws?

As parents of adult children, my husband and I have been learning this lesson in real time. Like many parents, we worry. We discern. We hover. We nitpick. But we’ve noticed that when we stay in that fearful place, our children shrink. Yet when we speak over who they are, who they are becoming, and what God can do through them, we watch them flourish and grow bolder. There is power in prophetic encouragement.

Psychologists say it can take three to seven positive comments to counteract a single negative one. Let that sink in. People are carrying more discouragement than we realize. Our words have the ability to either reinforce fear or release courage.

While we should all make it our aim to encourage others as much as possible, sometimes, there’s no one around to encourage you. David knew this feeling well. In 1 Samuel 30:6, after devastation and loss, scripture says: “But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” Sometimes we must intentionally strengthen ourselves in God’s presence. We open his Word and remember who he says we are. We quiet the noise of insecurity and reconnect with purpose. We spend time with him until courage rises again.

Encouragement isn’t just something we give or receive. Sometimes it’s something we choose.

Lord, you are the best encourager and always our #1 fan. Thank you for that. Help us become people who breathe courage into others. Teach us to speak life instead of fear, hope instead of shame, and truth instead of criticism. Show us how to see people the way you see them. And when we feel discouraged ourselves, remind us who we are in you. Strengthen our hearts, steady our purpose, and help us walk boldly in the calling you’ve placed on our lives. Amen.

*I would like to honor Pastor Becky Heinrichs for the encouraging word this morning that inspired this post.