“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7
When I ask the pup to come to me, he’ll do it. When he starts coming, if I encourage him with some praise, he picks up his pace. He doesn’t like being corrected nearly as much as he soaks up the encouragement I give him when he’s doing the right thing.
I try to be pretty free with my words of love to my boys, but occasionally they need reassured at a specific time that I don’t recognize. When that happens, they simply ask for it! It could be that they need reminded how much their loved, that they’re doing a good job, or even that they’re strong with manly muscles. They grin ear-to-ear and tell me thanks. I’m so glad they recognize what they need, but I’m even happier that they communicate it!
Tonight I was feeling a little blue, and after wallowing in a pathetic state for a bit, it dawned on me to ask for a little encouragement from God. It should’ve occurred to me right away, but nope, I was too busy indulging in some discouraging thoughts. On the bright side, I did eventually recognize what I needed! Within a short period of time, I had someone contacting me with a “knock it off” and a wonderful gift of hope to pull me out of the dumps.
What I’ve noticed is that everyone is in need of encouragement once or twice (or a million times) in their life! Our unruly emotions will try to stir us up occasionally. As you get ready for your party, your pity party, I’d suggest asking for that little bit of reassurance that you need instead of just moping around. You aren’t likely to make yourself feel better that way anyhow.
Remember that God really isn’t hiding from you, but sometimes I think He just wants us to ask for what we need, seek Him out, and knock so He can answer the door. This way we realize where our encouragement really comes from. Just make sure that you keep alert for His answer. He might place you on someone’s heart, He might make you remember something that He’s already done for you, or give you that peace that passes all understanding.
“No matter how smooth or how rough this day, God is with you every step of the way.” -Unknown
