18. Are You a "Son of Encouragement"
Some people are upbeat and encouraging by nature. The book of Acts mentions Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas - or "son of encouragement" (Acts 4:36). We aren't given any other details, but if you know a man or woman like Barnabas, you know what a difference such an individual can make in our daily lives. Romans 12:8 shows that some people, like Barnabas, seem to have been given this ability: "[if your gift is] to encourage, then give encouragement;" but it is something we all can, and should, develop.
We see this in the example of the apostle Paul – someone who perhaps understood the value of encouragement more than any of God's servants. As we saw in the last chapter, Paul had been through it all (2 Corinthians 11:2426), and encouragement was a big part of the message that he preached. Acts 20:1-2 tells us, for example, that "… Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people …" And when Paul could not be with the churches he pastored, he sent others with precisely this task: "I am sending him [Tychicus] to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you" (Ephesians 6:22).
That is the background to the commands to "encourage one another" found in Paul's writings (2 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, etc.). But do we see these statements as actual commands or as just pleasant sentiments? It seems clear what the apostle intended them to be.
There is something we have to understand before we can help others in this way, however. Encouragement is like wealth – you can't spread it if you don't have it! We need to learn to be encouraged – to see the encouragement God offers us, not only in his written word, but also in everyday life – in order to be truly uplifting to those around us.
As might be expected, Paul provides an example here. Acts records that when he was on his way to Rome and facing a wholly uncertain future, believers in the area travelled to meet Paul: "… At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged" (Acts 28:15). And notice what Paul wrote to Philemon, "Your love has given me great joy and encouragement …" (Philemon 1:7). Like Paul, we need to be actively looking at the good things in our lives – both when things are going well and when they are not. Even when things are going well, we still need to be open to the effects of encouragement. Acts 9:31 says, "Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers." So encouragement is one of the many functions of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12:4) and a vital part of personal and collective growth in such times.
In bad times, encouragement plays an even more obvious role. The book of Psalms is a great resource for seeing the encouraged mindset in action. You need only read a few of David's psalms to see both the anguish and the joy of his life. But David knew that things always worked out in the end. When he wrote, "You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry" (Psalms 10:17), he was writing from a lot of experience. It was with real knowledge that he wrote "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalms 30:5 NKJV). But we have to be looking for the things that work out in our own lives, be conscious of them, and appreciate them, to be able to offer encouragement like that.
Remember, too, that these dual points of encouraging and being encouraged go hand in hand. When we encourage others, we are often encouraged ourselves. And if we focus on the things that encourage us in life, we are better able to help others do the same. Who better to summarize this situation than Paul himself: "By all this we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you" (2 Corinthians 7:13). These servants of God knew that we all need to be encouraged and to encourage one another. So even if you are privileged to know someone encouraging like Barnabas in your church or circle of friends, remember that the position is still open – you, too, can be a "son" or "daughter" of encouragement.