Written by Tamara Fisher

The laundry room floor was cold and hard as I sat folding the mountain of boys’ clothing. “How many times did I say I would get a stool in here,” I mumbled. In walked my oldest teen boy, his face contorted with stress and anxiety.

“It’s too much! I’m overwhelmed and have no idea what to do!” he howled. High school was a unique challenge for our smart, gifted son since organization was not a natural talent of his. I invited him to join me on the floor and handed him a pile of socks. He paired matches and cried. I sorted piles and listened as the tile floor became holy ground.

Encouragement requires so much listening. As my son shared his heart, I helped him recognize the truth of the matter, a kind of Holy “what is really going on here.” We acknowledged where God wanted to meet him in his weakness, and looked for where God was inviting him to obedience and growth. Encouragement rested in the reminder my son needed about who he was and the help available to him.

I recently came across a fascinating word: petrichor. It means the pleasant, earthy, and fresh scent that fills the air when rain falls on dry ground. Most of us have experienced this. After a long season of dryness, the ground pines for rain. When the heavens finally open, it’s as though all our senses respond in remembrance. Ah, we cry! This is what it feels like to have reprieve from heat and drought. So, too is the gift of encouragement.

What did it feel like for me to exercise my encouragement gift? It felt like petrichor, refreshment, and courage. Like rain that allows the ground to spring to life, encouragement cleans off what isn’t true, deposits what is, and emboldens others to resume the work of the Kingdom.

Weekly Reflection Questions

1. Name a lesson or sermon that stuck with you for the long haul. What about that particular teaching resonated with you?
2. Describe a time you noticed a gap in leadership and felt compelled to step in or noticed a gap and were simply frustrated by it.
3. Think of a time you have been genuinely encouraged. How did that help change your perspective? What was it and what did it mean to you in the moment?