I’ve been reading in Genesis, and I’ve got this huge desire to “parent” some of those old familiar Bible characters.

I want to take Cain’s face in both hands, look him in the eye, and say, “Take a deep breath.” I want to put a hand over Noah’s mouth and a shushing finger to my lips, and say, “Use your big-boy words, not curses!” I want to put a firm hand on Jacob’s shoulder and say, “God’s got this, wait.” (Gen. 3:3-8; 20-25; 27:1-41)

I want to do the same thing in grocery stores, at gas stations, and when I watch the news.

So. Much. Anger. So many consequences.

People are scary.

These are anxious days. We worry. About money, family, and our lives. We’ve been berated, cheated, and hurt. We want to love one another, but we don’t know if the “other” in front of us is a terrible person or even just a regular person who’s had a  “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”

Minding our own business seems less risky than connecting. But connections change things.

Just the other day, I was about to pull out of my favorite coffee shop to head to my mom’s place. I had about 20 minutes to get there in time to watch Wheel of Fortune and help her get ready for bed. A woman waved me down and told me she was at the coffee shop with her prayer group. Could they pray for me?

Honest first reaction?

(Sigh) I don’t have time to pray–I have a TV schedule.

Second reaction?

Girl, you are in the business of talking to strangers and looking for people to encourage. How can you refuse to receive prayer and encouragement from others?

I walked over to the table, and within a few minutes, I had a few new friends, was encouraged, and felt a little less alone than I’d been feeling for several days. I still made it in time for Wheel of Fortune, and that evening I remembered to add praying together to my mom’s nighttime routine of pajamas and essential oils.

I’m so glad that group wasn’t afraid of a stranger in an RV.

I can’t change history, but I can change the future.

I may not direct the fate of nations in with my words and actions, but I can change the course of a day or even a life.

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3:13 (NASB95)

God uses encouragement to soften hearts to His truth. Whose hearts? Every heart in danger of being hardened by sin. Mine, yours, and theirs.

Encouragement is beautifully mutual. A word of affirmation or warning fitly spoken and well-received encourages both the giver and the receiver. Your son stands a little straighter because you tell him you saw that good thing he did, and both of your hearts are softened. Something similarly reciprocal happens when your friend turns away from a destructive course because you ask the right question at the right time.

Encouragement isn’t always given or received well. Without the Holy Spirit guiding our words, affirmation can become flattery and a cautionary word can become scolding.

Like apples of gold in settings of silver
Is a word spoken in right circumstances.

Proverbs 25:11 (NASB95)

But we can’t let the fear of messing up a good thing paralyze us. We encourage confidently from a heart submitted to the Father, filled with the Word, and guided by the Spirit.

Encourage One Another. Today. Day after day.

Some people keep gratitude journals. It’s an effective reminder that every day has enough of the goodness of God to fill several journals.

What if we kept encouragement journals? What if we determined to encourage each other day after day, while it’s still today, and every day had enough encouragement to fill several journals? 

Would hearts soften? Would sin and tragedy be averted? Would we change the world?

Let’s find out.