Today is the National Day of Encouragement!!!

Today is a day for celebrating, a day that reaches to the heart of PEP UP for Joy. Passionate Encouragement and Prayer Uplifts People spreading JOY!

To give encouragement is to give compassion, give confidence, and give courage.  It is an opportunity to recognize and affirm those incredible people around you.  It is a chance to foster hope within the heart of another, helping them to take the next steps in their journey.  Encouragement can uplift downcast hearts, can bring smiles to faces, and can offer support to weary souls.

Every year on the National Day of Encouragement, I try to take on an extra project geared towards pouring out encouragement. A day for trying to do a little bit MORE than any average day and to invite others into the opportunity to be an encourager.

For 2021 my theme for the National Day of Encouragement is

LETTERS OF LOVE!

Here is the challenge: write a hand written letter to at least one person in your life to remind them that you love and care for them.

This isn’t just about writing impassioned love letters to spouses or girlfriends or boyfriends (although perhaps your significant other would be blessed to receive such a love letter).

A letter of love can be written to anyone. You can never tell a parent or a child or a sibling that you love them too much. Reach farther out into your family tree, Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, Cousins, or Nieces & Nephews are all good options too. Then there are friends. Old friends, new friends, and friends spread far & wide. How about acquaintances, neighbors, and those you encounter that always seem to brighten your day. Even the barista at your favorite coffee house could use a letter of encouragement.

Start with ONE. One person.

Who has been on your heart recently? Who is going through challenging circumstances? Who has been really busy and could be blessed by slowing down to read a letter? Who haven’t you reached out to in a while?

If you are not sure, I suggest praying and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal ONE who is in need. Then be obedient to what is revealed. You may be surprised at the both who you are prompted to and the response that is returned to you.

Then WRITE.

When it comes to the heart of the message, what do you love about the person you are writing to? What endears them to your heart? What is it about them that brightens your life, makes you smile, or connects you to them?

What cherished memories do you have with them or because of them? What good have they added to your days?

What skills, talents, or abilities can you call out and affirm in their life? What benefits come from the work they do or the volunteer efforts they undertake?

It doesn’t have to be a 20 page declaration. A few loving and expressive paragraphs can go a very long way.

Sitting down, taking the time to write, sending your letter through the mail it means so much. How many of us get letters in our mailboxes in an average month? Yet, how many of us will pause our day to open and read the one that we receive? The impact a letter can have is truly tremendous. I can not tell you how many people I speak with who have letters saved in desks and drawers and boxes that they return to again, and again, and again. Do you have any notes like that? Ones that you re-read and draw encouragement from long after receiving them? Perhaps the person who penned that letter could use one in return today?

We can even write letters to those who can’t receive them. When my Step Mom died suddenly and unexpectedly I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye. So I wrote it out in a letter, what I would want to say if given the chance. I actually wrote a couple of letters to her as a way to help walk through my grief.

We can save our letters for a later date. Perhaps there is a big anniversary or birthday for someone in your life. Today may be a good day to compose a letter to give as a gift on that day of celebration. Maybe there’s a newborn in your life that you could write to expressing what their entrance into your life has meant, a gift for the future graduation or special occasion.

There are so many options to choose from and words to express. It is my hope and prayer that we all take a slice of time in our day to pour out encouragement to those in our lives.

A Letter to my Readers

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for sharing in my words. Thank you for joining me on such an incredible day to bring encouragement to others.

You make a difference in my life that I deeply appreciate!!! It is such an honor that you would give of your time to read my words. I am grateful and humbled by your feedback and comments. With so many options and so much to content to take in, to have you journey with me is a real treat!

If you are feeling depleted and downcast and discouraged yourself, I hope and pray that some encouragement finds its way to YOU today! You are a beautiful treasure and a precious gift! Never before and never again will there be another like you; one with your talents, gifts, and experiences. This time and this place is blessed to have you.

I pray that the Lord’s voice comes through and speaks a resonating , loving truth over you today. My words are nothing compared to God’s holy scriptures.

Listen to the voice of the Lord, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4 (NIV)

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

“I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV)

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

“Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.” Lamentations 2:19 (NIV)

You are loved, dear one, loved very much! I pray that you both feel it and know it today.

From the heart of PEP UP for JOY, Happy National Day of Encouragement!!!