Description

Definition
Encouragement is the ability to offer words of comfort, consolation, reassurance, affirmation, advice, or even warning so a person feels helped. This is primarily verbal help, not physical assistance like service. An encourager often presents a course of action to resolve the problem–practical advice and not just soothing words. This is a people-centered aptitude, but does not lead to long-term commitments, which can be very draining to you and even overwhelming. You can offer encouragement one-on-one or with a group, with friends or with strangers.
As an encourager, you might spontaneously sense a person’s needs; even if you don’t know all the details of their situation, you often intuitively know when they need encouragement. You enjoy strengthening and reassuring troubled people, motivating others to grow, and supporting people who need to do something difficult. You might even warn or encourage those who have gotten off track in their life. You may feel attracted to those who are struggling because you feel you can help.
Feelings are very important to you, so you may avoid problems and their discomfort. If involved in a conflict with someone, you may defer to them by backing down; you may even look for something encouraging in the conflict simply to make yourself feel better. If a conflict becomes serious or frustrating, you may eventually challenge the person you believe is responsible.
Scriptural examples include Barnabas being sent to Antioch. “When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts” (Acts 11:22-23). On the day of Pentecost, Peter addressed the crowd: “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with [urged, encouraged] them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation’” (Acts 2:40).

Typical Characteristics
● Often give a course of action to resolve someone’s problem.
● Strengthen and reassure those who are discouraged.
● Encourage or challenge people, motivating them to grow.
● Offer support to those who need to take action.

Tendencies
● General Orientation: probably extrovert. Your primary motivation is to help other people, so you are people-oriented and you help them by talking to them. If introverted or only slightly extroverted, you may be more comfortable helping someone privately or one-on-one.
● Perspective: positive. You are optimistic that the person’s situation can improve or they can feel better about it. You are confident that if they do what you say, they will get the desired results.
● Priorities
● People. Your number one priority.
● Emotions, feelings. These are very important to you, and your encouragement can improve both.
● Issue Perception: subjective. Although you do not develop a long-term relationship with the person, you definitely sense their feelings and respond with encouragement.

Misunderstandings
You may appear too simplistic or too optimistic. Others may think you just give advice and encouragement, but don’t really want to do anything to help or get involved.

Vocations and Roles
Encourager, advisor, motivational speaker, minister, or counselor.

Perversions

Self-Centeredness
(Perverts your aptitude by focusing it on you, emphasizing the pleasure or fulfillment it gives you.)
Giving advice makes you feel good, so you do it even when it is unwanted or inappropriate. You might become impatient with a lack of response or results, or if people simply refuse to do what you tell them. Your self-confidence may cause you to fail to identify the person’s real needs, preferring instead to judge intuitively or simply from your own perspective. This is much easier and more pleasant for you than getting deeply involved.

Extremes
(Perverts by exaggerating, taking your characteristics and tendencies to extremes.)
Encouragement taken to the extreme reduces everything to simple solutions and you can develop a simplistic approach to life. Your emphasis shifts to making everyone feel good, rather than offering specific solutions to problems. By focusing on a person’s feelings rather than a solution to their problem, you risk becoming an enabler by encouraging them to continue destructive habits or attitudes. You can become unwilling to hear or experience anything unpleasant.

Control
(Self-centeredness makes you want to be in control, and you struggle for control in a way that is unique to your character.)
In a conflict, you might gain control by advising or even affirming the other person. In extreme cases, you may become hostile and retaliate against the one you think disrupted your good feelings. Or you might slip into denial, clinging to a simplistic image of life.

Redemption

Putting on Important Traits
Certain godly character traits are especially important to you as an encourager. Consciously developing the following traits will help you effectively encourage others.

● Humility (Considers self relatively unimportant compared to others; prevents using abilities for one’s own satisfaction.) By considering yourself less important than God and others, you will be unconcerned about your own feelings. This enables you, for example, to offer advice and encouragement even when the recipient rejects it. Humility will overcome your desire to retaliate when you get involved in a conflict.
● Agape (Considers others’ welfare, needs, interests, and desires more important than your own; motivates you to act for others’ benefit regardless of personal impact.) Agape motivates you to get involved in other people’s unpleasant situations so you can serve them with encouragement. It also helps you probe the problem enough to identify the real cause, so your advice and encouragement can be more effective, and you avoid simply saying the first thought that comes to mind.
● Joy (A sense of well-being, often despite circumstances; may be expressed as happiness, confidence, or optimism.) Encouragement offers confidence and optimism in spite of circumstances. This may be one of your strongest traits, enabling you to help others overcome their discouragement.
● Peace (A state of well-being; an internal condition of completeness, order, and rest that supersedes external circumstances.) This can be an important element of your encouragement if the person’s situation is particularly troubling or disruptive. It also helps you remain at rest when addressing problems.
● Faith or faithfulness (Firm conviction regarding something for which there is no proof; action based on such conviction.) Faith is the foundation of encouragement. If someone lacks faith, you cannot build their courage, and if you lack faith, you will not offer to help. Therefore, it is essential that you have faith and impart it to others. This likely is your strongest trait.
● Goodness (Action on another’s behalf, whether pleasant or unpleasant to them; motivates you to do what is best for others.) You may have to give unpleasant advice to strengthen or reassure someone. Goodness motivates you to do what is best for the person, which includes taking very unpleasant action now to produce long-term results or benefits.

Repentance, Renewing Your Mind
(The changes you need to make in the way you think, including your attitudes, standards, priorities, and perspective.)
Struggling or troubled people desperately need your encouragement, whether in the form of emotional comfort or practical advice. You serve people by building them up, helping them grow or giving them courage to face their problems. The most powerful source of encouragement you can offer anyone is the Word of God.

Denying and Humbling Yourself
(Rejecting your own desires and self-interests. Refusing to be motivated by desire for recognition or credit for the results.)
When your advice is helpful, you should celebrate the person’s success rather than your own effectiveness. You also must reject embarrassment if you did not help or your advice was ineffective. Whatever the apparent outcome, you must humbly offer what God has given you and trust Him for the results.

Taking up Your Cross
(Accepting that which has potential for great harm, threatens to break you down, or reveals your inadequacies.)
You run the risk of giving ineffective or even inappropriate advice due to your own limitations. This is a clear risk and you must be willing to accept your inadequacies. You may be involved with someone’s problem for an extended period for them to make significant progress or reach the ultimate solution. This can overwhelm you, wearing you down and driving you to the limits of your own abilities.

Following Jesus
(How you uniquely imitate Jesus by doing what He would in your situation.)
Jesus always addressed the root of an issue, not the superficial symptoms. He knew feelings were not of supreme importance and gave correct advice even when it did not make the recipient feel good. He considered the person’s long-term welfare more important than their feelings of the moment. He frequently encouraged others not to be afraid.

Becoming Like a Child
(Accepting what God gives you, believing what He tells you, trusting Him to take care of you, and simply doing what He says.)
You intuitively offer the words of advice God gives you, even if it doesn’t make sense based on your perception of the situation. You trust God’s ability to address the issues effectively through you.