Birthday Party

As leaders and teachers, we must recognize that those around us often need encouragement. Romans 12 lists one of God’s gifts as “encouraging.” In the 1950s, parenting seemed critical. Slogans included: walk softly and carry a big stick; I’m taking you out behind the woodshed; switches and wooden spoons were commonplace. I had two coaches to compare. My football coach was a very successful negative motivator. I left football in my senior year and went to a private school to swim for a great coach. The newspaper published an article quoting the coach saying thet my leaving left a big hole in the program. That was the first positive thing I had ever heard from him. The swim coach was a positive motivator and sent several swimmers to national championships and Olympics. Our small prep school defeated high-ranking first-year college teams with several future 1960 Olympians. When one of us lost, we were surprised- Coach Al was a positive motivator and teacher that had us believing in ourselves. Today’s teachers use positive reinforcement, and most parents also do. Future generations will benefit significantly from enlightened parenting and teaching. People with the gift of encouragement are blessed, and I pray all of you have it. Thought for Today: We will all have an opportunity to “encourage” someone. It will be a natural “gift” to some, but it will be a chore to many. Let’s recognize where we fit and utilize God’s gifts in our lives to make God’s world a better place. Prayer for Today: We pray that we may use ou God given skills and knowledge to encourage as we lead our families and others. Amen.