Encouragement

TIME GOES BY so very fast.

I find it so hard to fathom that my own first born daughter is now a married wom- an, building her future with the man of her dreams... sometimes a week can fly by so quickly it takes you by surprise when you find yourself back at Sunday again!!

But with this in mind, we must be continually aware of the urgency and value of preparing not just the next generation, but speaking life and potential into the third and fourth.

I will never forget a dear Pastor friend of ours, Ps Rick Godwin from San Antonio, Texas saying to me, ‘Darlene, the two greatest days of your life are the day you were born, and the day you found out why.’
These words just resonated so very deep within me, as my clear memory of feeling a sense of being ‘set apart’ for Kingdom endeavour was definitely a time in my life where literally the lights went on for me deep in my spirit. You find throughout history that all of the truly great men and women were committed to speaking direction and promise into the lives of those around them, and this is something every one of us can eventually make part of ‘who we are’, rather than another job we have to do.

I personally have many memories of my parents, grandparents, church leaders and friends filling my soul with encouragement, when I did not have the courage myself to believe in the dreams that were already filling my heart.

I have learned that for many of us, and many of the great men and women around us, it is a rare day when support is received that would breathe life into the dreams and hopes we cling to and sincerely believe in.
Following the example of our God when it comes to encouragement is premium.

Psalm 10:16 says, ‘The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from His land. You hear O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; You encourage them, and You listen to their cry, defending the Fatherless and the oppressed in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.’

There are many times in our every day where we can find ourselves genuinely encouraged from moments that are not based solely on others.

I am encouraged in my soul when I hear good music, I am encouraged when I see an amazing garden or piece of art, I am encouraged when I hear a great message being preached, I am encouraged when I see my family doing life well and working together well.

I am encouraged when I see my husband reading and studying the Word, I am encouraged when I read about someone going against all odds and succeeding in life.

Yes, there are many, many moments if you choose to see them, that will be a part of giving you strength, even in the fleeting moments. I get encouraged,

ESPECIALLY when music is created that gives glory to God... hearing orchestras playing melodies that were written to express the grandeur of the King of Kings.

Oh, I feel encouraged just writing about it. What is it that encourages you?

I asked a close girlfriend of mine that question the other day as she was feeling so low, and she could not find her answer.

I tapped into the emotional capacity of music very early, and I would find that certain songs with uplifting messages would encourage me even when there was no one physically around to do this.

One of the reasons for having music such as praise and worship playing in our homes and cars is that you start to see music do what it was created to do, as the Word of Life fills the atmosphere, the human spirit is lifted again.

The language of music has always fascinated me... created to carry the presence of God, created to give voice to the human journey, created as a vehicle of expres- sion of the human heart and often communicating a far deeper level of speech than words alone can ever express. Created to communicate the cries, the an- guish, the joys, the highs and the lows. David says in Psalm 71, ‘When I open up in song to You, I let out lungsful of praise, my rescued life a song.’! (The Message) I wish I could tell you how much I love that verse.

On my journey as a young woman discovering what ministry truly meant and required, I cannot tell you how many times people would try and bring me back to earth, so to speak, when I would tell them of my purpose and intent. I was young and full of enthusiasm, full of passion for music and hungry for knowledge about worship... BUT so many around me would try to dissuade me in my ministry goals so I would not get my hopes up for fear of facing disappointment.

I wondered for many years why people felt the need to try to ‘small me’ down.

Psalm 139:17, ‘How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts toward me O God. How vast is the sum of them.’

Verse 18, ‘If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand... When I awoke (could I count to the end) I would still be with You.’ (AMP)

In our own church environment in Sydney, Australia, and I gather in most of the planet, rather than finding multitudes who think more highly of themselves, I have honestly found that the opposite is true... that there are so, so, so many people who honestly think more lowly of themselves. But it doesn’t take much of a language shift to ensure that what we bring to the lives of those around us on a consistent level is the power of acceptance and support.

I have never seen such a simple strategy have such brilliant impact!!