Twenty-one Tips and Tidbits for Encouragers in ‘21

by Gordon Walker

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). (NIV)

I have often wondered, “What happens if all the encouragers get discouraged?” If you share that concern, it’s time we be earnestly about the Father’s business of encouraging others.

It is my hope that this year we can work together without “growing weary” (Galatians 6:9/NIV) and with great enthusiasm (1 Corinthians 15:58/NLT) to be effective, meaningful encouragers.

Inspired by friends whose words and deeds over the years have brought refreshment to my soul, here are 21 thoughts for ways we can step up our encouragement in 2021.

1) Treats Others, Treat Yourself
For years, my dad would show up at my office in the middle of the afternoon, once every two or three months, to bring me a Dr Pepper and just say hello. We would have a 30-second conversation, share an embrace, and I would get back to work. Just recently, we had friends from our Connection Group drop off our favorite bread pudding. Sensitive to our social-distancing concerns around the holidays, they returned home, and then we met via FaceTime to share a few bites together and a time of fellowship. Whether it is a soft drink, coffee or small batch of cookies, everyone has a weak spot that is an easy target for an encourager. If you share the same weak spot, that’s even better. Treat another, and treat yourself while you’re at it.

2) To Feed Others, You Must Be Fed Yourself
In order for us to feed others with kindness and encouragement, we must be fed by God’s word. To be consistently effective, we need to be consistent feasters on Scripture. I love people, and I have a desire to be an encourager of brothers and sisters in Christ. But I learned long ago that if I let my fellowship with the Lord fall off, I turn into a fruitless branch, and my ability to love seems to wane right along with it, even for those I love the most. If we want to bear much fruit, we must remain in Him (John 15:5/NIV).

3) Plan A Moment of WEEKness
Set aside time every week to check on those who need to be reminded that someone cares. It can be the same person or someone new each week. Block off 15 minutes at the same time every week to make a phone call, send a text or a note, and it can make a huge difference. Choose a method and a weekly time of action you can commit to, but don’t be afraid to mix it up with different delivery types and times. Make this a habit, and you will become a dependable encourager. Hint: some people still cherish getting a personal note in the mail.

4) Target Practice
A follow-up to the item above: take the time to make a list of those you want to encourage over the next week or two. Think of someone who hasn’t been in your Zoom Bible Study or of the single person you used to see in worship before the pandemic interruption hit us all. By being intentional, you will actually “be a doer of the word” and not a hearer only.

5) Be a Social Media Stalker
In my opinion (and for the record, it’s a strong opinion), if you are not using social media to be an encourager, you should hit the kill switch on your accounts. The enemy is running wild on FaceBook and Twitter, and he has ample critics without our participation. This would be a great year to use this easy access to people’s lives to bring encouraging words. There are plenty of targets to “hammer” with kind-heartedness. Don’t let up.

6) Think Neighborly
For the most part, I don’t know what’s been going on in any of the homes on our block. But we chose Julio and Oralia for a random poinsettia delivery. A few days later, Julio reciprocated with a set of snowman mugs. He told us that Oralia’s father had died from COVID a few weeks earlier, and she was naturally devastated. Initiating conversation with neighbors can uncover all sorts of hurts and needs. Look for ways to use acts of encouragement on those who live near.

7) Share Prayer Over the Phone
Long before the days of COVID, I received great encouragement through phone prayer sessions with other men. Sometimes I was the initiator. The prayer sessions occurred when one man detected a pressing need in the life of another and picked up the phone. We have sought the Lord’s intervention with a serious health matter, financial distress, strife in a relationship and so on. Such phone calls are meaningful and powerful and right at our fingertips.

8) Smile Through the Mask
You don’t have to be an anti-masker to dislike masks. But we all spend time almost every day behind a mask, whether we like it or not. If masks could somehow block out the virus the way they have shielded us from smiles, we wouldn’t need a vaccination. In 2021, make the extra effort to smile with your eyes, wave or put extra volume on any cheerfulness you can muster with your voice. We all need it.

9) Share Lunch for No Good Reason
One of the guys in my Connection Group called and invited me to lunch. I learned over a plate of enchiladas that he felt the Lord was nudging him to make arrangements with a different man every month to have a lunch, just to have a time of fellowship and encouragement. He didn’t pack any agenda, just 45 minutes of great food and kind words. Both hit the spot. Boy, was I encouraged. Try this, and if your budget allows, pick up the tab for both. While you are at the restaurant, go out of your way to encourage servers and managers. Restaurant employees have endured an enormous stress load the past nine months.

James 1:19 addresses three good points below:

10) Be Quick to Listen
Encouragers are always good listeners.

11) Slow to Speak
Encouragers make their words count.

12) Slow to Anger
Anger has its place (James calls for “slow anger” not “no anger”), but encouragers should always keep it in check.

13) Focus on Older Folks
Our family has spent the last nine weeks sharing 24/7 care for my 91-year-old dad and his wife at Southern Plaza in Bethany. I was there for breakfast on Christmas morning and found a red envelope outside their apartment door. It was a Christmas card signed by “the Student Ministry at Council Road Baptist Church.” To see our kids and their leaders take the time to demonstrate love for a retirement community that has been devastated by the effects of COVID-driven isolation and virus-related deaths, was heart-warming, especially on Christmas morning. Their deed is worth repeating in other venues. Older folks love receiving mail, especially from kids, grandkids and thoughtful church members.

14) Don’t Forget Your Family
For many of us, spending time with family at holidays and other special occasions is the norm. But sending them a handwritten note or an old family favorite dish is always in season.

15) Blasts to the Past
Remembering to encourage old friends can reignite warmth inside both parties. Your reminder of their significance in your earlier life can help replenish validation to their life’s purpose and serve as a reminder of the triumphs in spite of trials in a shared journey of walking with the Lord.

16) Enter the Comfort Zone
“Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me…” (Psalms 23:4/KJV).

This Scripture should prompt us to ask ourselves: “Our staff has comforted me. When is the last time I comforted my staff?” Let 2021 be a year you think of creative ways to encourage our church staff. They live in the same rocked world we do. Along with Sunday morning expressions of appreciation, why not choose a plan of encouragement to hit them with during the work week when they least expect it?

17) Share How God Has Helped You Navigate Tough Times
It is popular to curse any thought of 2020, yet we know as believers that our Lord was/is/will be working all things together for our good. We’ve seen Him do this before with other daunting stretches of life, so we can be confident He will do so again. Testimonies to God’s faithfulness in the storms of life are the words that often draw people to faith in Christ.

18) Share the Gospel
If a relationship with Christ ever mattered in helping someone navigate through life (for now and eternity), it certainly does now. Helping someone find peace with God in a time of great unrest is unmatchable encouragement.

19) Be Faithful in Group Participation
Simply showing up encourages our leaders as well as other members of your group.

20a) Team Sports > One on One
Involve others in your class in mapping out innovative projects that help edify the body of our church and the city around us.

20b) Team Sports > One on One (Most of the Time)
There is nothing like a team, and there is nothing like a group of believers to share life’s challenges and the church’s work. But for an encourager, going one-on-one is often the only way to get many individuals to share their hurts. Many are very uncomfortable sharing any hardship with a group, but are willing to unload on a caring, timely, trustworthy ear. If you think that person might want the group to know, ask for permission to share, but assure him or her of (and stick to) complete confidentiality if not.

21) Be Timely
Last summer, our son and daughter-in-law moved from OKC out of state as he began his residency in Memphis. While we were very excited for their new opportunity and new home and really loved the charming new city where they were headed, our friends knew the pending departure had left us heavy hearted. Joined by our daughter, we helped the kids move seven hours east on the first Saturday in June. That Friday afternoon prior, the doorbell rang at our home, and it was a couple from our Connection Group. They delivered a variety of snacks for us to share with our kids during the road trip and the moving process. More importantly, they delivered hugs and “big brother and sister in Christ” reassurance that the Lord had our kids—and us—fully in His care, now and in the future. Our church friends planned ahead. Their delivery of snacks and messaging was simple, yet extremely powerful and very timely.

We should all make our own lists and get busy, don’t you think?

Author Bio
Gordon Walker and his wife, Beverly, serve as directors of the TBD Connection Group. They have been members at Council Road since 2008. During the week, they operate NightOWL Publications. They have three children: Brooks, (and wife, Dru), Memphis, Tenn.; Annie, Stillwater; and Clay, (1991-1997), Heaven.