How I Give Encouragement - Part 2

2. Make Encouragement Personal.

When it comes to encouraging those around us, the more personal we can make our encouragement, the better. General encouragement is fine, especially if there really is nothing else positive to say, but whenever possible, we must focus on Specific, Personal Encouragement.

The more specific a compliment is, the more power it holds for the individual. Whenever I speak, I always have people give me comments & compliments. (There's a big difference, by the way.) If someone says, "Matt, that was a great message." That's a nice enough comment, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily a compliment.

However, if someone says, "Matt, when you said _______, it really touched my heart! I have been living that right now, and God really used that statement to touch me." Now that's a compliment! Do you see the difference? The more specific our encouragement is, the more power our words hold.

Challenge: The next time you get ready to give someone a compliment, think of how you can make it more personal.

Just a bloggish thought,

matt