Shout the applause of encouragement as often as you can!

By Dennis Edwards: 

I know you all know these things, but I wanted to remind you. We all need reminders. The author of the book of Hebrews wrote, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” Jesus said, “Remember the word that I said unto you.” How do we remember unless we are reminded? Many people go to a religious service once a week to be reminded of what the Good Book says. So here’s a reminder for you.

Today before lunch, I did my 5 km jog. As I approached the last 500 meters, I had an interesting experience. I was passing the Sardine Restaurants which embrace the sand dunes some 50-100 meters from the sea. These simple restaurants are mostly owned by local fishing families and are busy all year round as sardines are a traditional Portuguese cuisine. As I passed the restaurants, one of the cooks or managers started cheering me on. I watched my own physical reactions and without thinking I immediately started running faster. Even though I was tired the applause and encouraging sounds lightened my feet and I sped up. Why I sped up I don’t know. Maybe subconsciously I did not want to disappoint my new fan.

But it got me thinking about the importance of encouragement. Those few claps and words I could not really understand made me react automatically for the better, as if I had been programmed for encouragement. When it was applied, I reacted positively and in this case ran faster. Encouragement caused a automatic physical and emotional response for the better.

Therefore, what is stopping us from giving a look of encouragement, or smile, or pat on the back or touch on the hand, or hug, or kiss or word or more to those around us or who we interact with throughout the day? Encouragement goes a long way. The encouragement I received not only got me running faster, but also got me thinking about the influence of encouragement to the point I’m writing it down to remind us all to encourage others.

My father was a good example of encouraging others throughout his life. Almost to the day he died he worked as a volunteer at 5 different old-folk homes playing music for his generation for an hour five days a week. He was friendly, outgoing, polite, always helping others. Why don’t we do the same today to those around us? We might cause a chain reaction of good like the sardine cook in a little fish restaurant along the beach did today. Encourage someone today. It just might brighten up your own day, too.