30 Encouraging Quotes September 16, 2009

Need a midweek lift? How about some words of encouragement. (Quotes from various websites and books.)

1. “Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them.” –Hugh Miller

2. “A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn. ” –Unknown

3. “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” –Paul

4. “Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you.” –Aldous Huxley

5. “When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.” –Unknown

6. “I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” –David

7. “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” –Alexander Graham Bell

8. “Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” –Anne Frank

9. “Never give in… never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force.. never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” –Winston Churchill

10. “Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” –Unknown

11. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” –Christ

12. “They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.” –Sir Frances Bacon

13. “Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress.” –Nicholas Murray Butler

14. “You do not pay the price of success, you enjoy the price of success.” –Zig Ziglar

15. “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” –Jesus

16. “People who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who do nothing and succeed.” –Unknown

17. “He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had failed.” –William James

18. “Instead of giving myself reasons why I can’t, I give myself reasons why I can.” –Anonymous

19. “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” –Franklin Roosevelt

20. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” –Richard Bach

21. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” –Japanese proverb

22. “I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” –Jesus

23. “If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.” –Flavia Weedn

24. “One has to remember that every failure can be a stepping stone to something better.” –Col. Harland Sanders

25. “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” –Dave Ramsey

26. “I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!” –Dr. Seuss

27. “Remember that what happens in you is more important than what happens to you.” –John Maxwell

28. “Begin somewhere; you cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do.” –Liz Smith

29. “Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” –Mia Hamm

30. “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” –Isaiah

15 Things You Can Do to Encourage August 18, 2009

We love encouragement. In fact, we crave it. Encouragement is one of those things that can pick you up and get you through your day.

Some, however, don’t see themselves as encouraging. “I just won’t know what to say” or “What if they are offended by me trying to pick them up” are phrases you might hear someone say.

Here is a quick list of things you CAN do to encourage someone else.

1. Send a non-forwarded email. Take a minute to type out a favorite verse or quote and send it to someone who enjoys getting email.

2. Write a letter. Remember pens and paper? Getting mail is a huge deal, especially to the elderly. Write a letter telling someone how you have benefited from him or her.

3. Give from your garden. People love fresh veggies. Take over a couple of tomatoes or carrots. Who knows, they may fix you lunch!

4. Be a Twitter encourager. Some people use Twitter to send little messages that pick up others. Some pass along quotes that are humorous or uplifting. What a great tool!

5. Visit someone who is hurting. You may not know what to say, but just being there is a great sign of encouragement. Hospitals are lonely places, and the presence of a visitor makes a world of difference.

6. Bake (or buy) some cookies. I don’t know what it is, but cookies are encouraging! Make some for a child and his stay-at-home mom and help them get through their day.

7. Have someone over for a meal. Being asked to someone’s house is a wonderful treat. It is a sign that they want to connect, and that is encouraging. [Special note: the meal doesn't have to be fancy! Just make something you love and have great fellowship.]

8. Bring a child along. The presence of children picks up nearly everyone. This is especially true of the elderly, but nearly anyone loves a child.

9. Bring a teen along when visiting nursing homes and the shut-in. Those in these conditions can’t believe it when a teenager shows some interest in them. Just their presence is an encouragement!

10. Give something away. Yes, just give it. Maybe it’s a tool to a young craftsman, or a good pan to a young mom. That gift will be remembered.

11. Remember someone “after the storm.” Don’t stop sending cards just because the funeral is over. Send a card or make a visit 3 or 4 months later. That will make a world of difference.

12. Use Facebook to encourage. I use it to send birthday wishes, but others just have a knack at sending encouraging notes and comments. What a way to “fire up the internet!”

13. Have your children make a card. In this case, neatness doesn’t count!

14. Remember your college students. You may not have the money to send them care packages, but you can send them a note or a message online. They need it!

15. Praise someone when they do something well. Use whatever form or media you are good at, but make sure you don’t just praise the public stuff. Remember those who do things behind the scenes.

Can you do one of those today? What else do you do to encourage?