A Day in the Life of Whoever

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5 :9-11

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

7:45 A.M.	You miss your ride to school, so your mother has to take you. All the way to school she lectures you about punctuality.
8:12 A.M.	You confess that you left your assignment at home, so your teacher writes your name on the chalkboard under the heading “No Clue.”
11:47 A.M.	You carry your lunch to the table where your friends are sitting, but there isn’t a spot for you-and nobody moves to squish you in.
2:06 P.M.	You receive a note from your best friend: “I never want to see you again.” The note is taped to a small bottle of mouthwash.
4:33 P.M.	Your dad forgets to come to your game-again. But it doesn’t matter because the coach won’t let you play-again.

After your lousy day, what would encourage you? Check the things that would lift your spirits and help you see the bright side of life.

_____ A friend says, “You think you have problems. Let me tell you about mine. (Blah, blah, blah.)”

_____A friend explains, “Here’s why that happened, Dummy, and here’s what you need to do so it doesn’t happen again. (Blah, blah, blah.)”

_____ You receive this e-mail from a friend: “Sorry to hear about your discouraging day. I’m praying for you.”

_____ A friend shows up with a new Christian music CD. “I heard you had a tough day. I thought we could listen to this together.”

Everybody you know has days much like the one described above. And everybody needs encouragement. To encourage means to lift people’s spirits and cheer them up by helping them focus on the positive, good things in life. But only a couple of choices from the list of responses really fit that definition, right?

Are you a true source of encouragement when your friends are down? Or do you only try to point out why things are so bad?

REFLECT: When your friends are down, do you help, or do you add to their hurt?

PRAY: God, show me how to encourage the people who need it most.