Leadership Thought: Something the World Needs More Of

Dear Friends,

I listen to a number of Bible teachers on the internet, and one of my favorites is Greg Laurie. This afternoon on my walk, I listened to a message he taught on my favorite subject, encouragement.

I am not shy about using other's material, but I am always careful to give credit to my source, so I must confess that much of this message is more Greg's than mine, for his message was just too good not to share.

He tells of a group of frogs who were walking through the forest and two of the frogs fell into a pit. The remaining frogs looked down from the side of the pit at the two fallen frogs below. 

"You'll never get out of the pit."

"Why don't you just give up and die," they shouted, and one of them did and died. But the remaining frog wouldn't give up, and he kept jumping and jumping and jumping to try to get out while all the time the frogs above were yelling and screaming at the frog to quit and give up.

Suddenly, to the surprise of the other frogs, he was able to jump out of the pit.

The surprised frogs said, "Didn't you hear us. We were yelling at you to give up, but you ignored us and kept on jumping. How did you do it?"

"Oh," said the frog, "I am hard of hearing, and I thought you were cheering for me."

We live in a time when there is a great need for cheerleaders.

There is a lot of negative communication going on in our world today. People are angry, mean spirited, critical and uncaring, and we see the impact of these behaviors as we watch the television news. Another shooting, another murder, another mugging, another rape,...

Greg shared some alarming statistics in pointing out the impact this negative behavior is having on the mental health among our young people. 

"The rates of depression among young people between 14-17 grew by more than 60% from 2009 to 2017, and it has gone up even more since then." 

"Suicide rates among young people have more than doubled in the last decade, and 43% of millennials report being concerned about their mental health." 

"It's not just young people who are feeling the effects of depression. It's older people as well. Many are feeling forgotten, left out, unappreciated, and passed over. They too, are in need of someone to tell them that they matter." 

"Men who are 65 and older face the highest risk of suicide, and men who are 85 and older are the second most likely group to take their own lives."

So, what do all these people have in common? I think what they all have in common is a need for a word of encouragement.

Encouragement is "oxygen to the soul and we can't live very long without it."

Mother Teresa taught that "kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless."

Mark Twain used to say that "one compliment can keep me going for a month."

The scriptures provide us with some specific advice regarding the value of encouragement.

Proverbs 25:11 reminds us that "The right word at the right time is like precious gold in a setting of silver."

1 Thess. 5:11 states we should "Encourage one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

Hebrews 10:24-25 exhorts us "To consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as is the habit of some, and encouraging one another all the more."

Our world certainly does need a large dose of encouragement, something that is in very short supply these days.

The late New Testament scholar William Barclay wrote "One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement. It is easy to laugh at men's ideals; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or  appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word." Encouragement, The Art of Giving, The Joy of Receiving, Walt Wiley.

I am now about to head to a luncheonette where I will attend a weekly breakfast with a couple of friends, and I know Monica, our waitress, will be eager to see us. No, it's not because we are unusually great tippers, which we're not, but it's because our conversation is generally  positive and  encouraging, and what waitress doesn't appreciate that kind of communication?

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S, Greg shared an acronym for helping us to monitor our behavior insuring we are not a part of the negative climate. THINK before you communicate. T, is it truthful; H, is it helpful; I, is it inspiring; N, is it necessary; and K, is it kind.