Encouraging Others

Encouraging others has been something I have done for many years, even before I had the full understanding or training that comes with chaplaincy. In 1996, I faced one of the most difficult experiences of my life when my mother transitioned unexpectedly at the early age of forty-eight. Her death was devastating and took me through a deep journey of emotional highs and lows. Many people, family, friends, and neighbors told me to “get over it,” reminding me that she was a woman of God and in a better place. Although I knew this to be true and it brought me comfort, at that moment, I was not ready to hear it.

As I grieved and prayed for strength and courage, I did not realize that God was preparing me for something greater. Just four months later, a dear friend lost his mother as well. Because I had walked that same painful road, I was able to encourage and support him in a way I could not have before. Even while enduring my own sorrow, God gave me the strength to stand beside my friend. Interestingly, as I encouraged my friend, those same words of faith were strengthening me too. We often talk about our mothers, their love, their faith, and the impact they had on others and on us.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).