May today’s post be an encouragement to you. Read through the entire post for a special opportunity to receive a Dayspring coupon to use to encourage your friends!
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. Proverbs 27:9
My friend Tracie recently wrote me a letter. Not a brief thank you note. This was a full-blown, handwritten letter. She said she wanted to put into writing several reasons she appreciates me as a friend. What a blessing! I stopped to reflect on the reasons I appreciate our friendship.
Dependability. When Tracie and I set a meeting time and place, she’s there. When she says she’ll lend me a book, check a website, or confirm a date, she does it right away. Most of all, when she says she’ll pray for me, I’m confident she does. She sends me a Facebook or text message to remind me she’s prayed and asks me for updates.
Generosity. It’s not that Tracie gives me things (although she does). It’s that she gives me herself. When we’re together, she gives me her full attention. She shares her thoughts, passions and everyday life with me. She regularly invests in our friendship.
Faithfulness. Tracie is a woman after God’s heart. We attend different churches but meet regularly to study together and encourage each other. I can count on Tracie to hold me accountable, ask me the tough questions, and encourage me to make sound decisions.
Tracie’s not perfect, and she’d be the first to admit it, but we both think we get the best end of our relationship. Perhaps you have a golden friendship. Or God might be providing you with several friends whose qualities combine to give you exceptional benefits of friendships. What do you value in your friendships?
Consider three qualities you value in friendships. Who reflects (or has reflected) these qualities to you? Send a personal note to these precious women. Include a piece of chocolate to remind women of the sweet gift of friendship.
Would you like to get some Dayspring cards or other gifts for free to encourage others? Through (in)spired Deals, I received the Sassy and Sophisticated card assortment and enjoyed writing notes of encouragement to friends, both near and far. What fun to hear from many of them of how they were surprised. I know it’s easy to send an email or text, and I use those avenues regularly, but I also enjoy regularly writing notes. Handwritten notes often arrive in a mailbox as a welcome surprise among the bills and junk mail. Bring a smile to someone’s day by sending personalize notes of encouragement.
And if you share a story of a time you were encouraged or encouraged a friend with a handwritten note, I’ll add you to a drawing to receive a $20 coupon for Dayspring. You can get your own style of cards or other gifts to share!
A new friend of mine wrote me a card out of the blue to thank me for sharing my story of struggle and to tell me she is praying for me. It was just what I needed to be reminded of that day and it only took her a few minutes to write it out. What a blessing friendship is!
Amen, Stephanie! When we have great friends, we are definitely blessed!
I enjoy writing my husband notes. I actually got some Love notes from DaySpring and enjoy writing notes to tell him little things he has done for me/us and how much I love him.
Love that, Becca! I recommend letting him know how much you respect him, too. Men thrive on respect! It’s how they experience love 🙂
By the way, the winner will be announced next Wednesday, June 22nd.
I am the Ladies Ministry Leader of our church and have many people who are willing to lend a helping hand. I thank God for them,however, we have a widowed sister who dives in serving with all that she has. Last year after our Ladies retreat, she wrote a personal letter to each lady there. It was both touching and uplifting. I thank God for Ms. Delores. She has taught the children, cooked and pulled all-nighters for our teens and our 24 hour prayer services, Decorates and makes favors for any function, and loves and prays for any need at church and has a prayer request at her place of work that is very active. I just hope I let God use me like she does.
This warms my heart, Rebecca. God wants to use us just where we are. He doesn’t put limitations on us, but we often limit ourselves. I love to hear about women who could retreat and withdraw but instead stand up and speak forward to serve!
Rebecca – Congratulations for winning the Dayspring drawing! I’ll send you instructions on Facebook. Enjoy!
When my Handsome is deployed, I stock up on cards that I know will encourage his heart while he’s abroad. I also like to send letters to my grandparents. My grandpa is confined to his home now due to health problems, and my family has let me know how encouraging and uplifting he finds those little cards, notes and letters, so that motivates me to keep sending them. ANd my sweet Grandma, every week for the 4 years I was in college, sent me a letter a week, the second week with some quarters in it, and the last week a $5 bill. 🙂 Laundry money! 🙂 And she always sends me a letter that arrives just on the right day when I’m going through transitions like moves, deployments, miscarriages, etc. She doesn’t get all smushygushy – just shares what’s going on in her life, but that connection to family when I live so far from them makes all the difference in teh world. 🙂
What a testimony of how you were impacted by others pouring into you and you’ve carried that into pouring into others! There’s definitely something to be said about those snail mails received when separated from family. Texts, Skype, and calls are great. We love to hear each others’ voices, but there’s something intentional about a letter…someone taking the time to find just the write card and words to include. Even though we’re not in control of the mail timing, it seems those cards and letters (and laundry money!) arrive at just the right time. God is good!
My sister encourages me so often. One particular instance I can think of is, she wrote me a card shortly after I got married and moved to a different state. She reminded me how much she loves me and the relationship we have. She even addressed a section of it to her new brother-in-law listing all the qualities she admires about him. And the last section of the card was ways we can try to laugh every day. She’s a huge blessing in my life. Thank God for sisters.
That’s fantastic, Jen. Thanks for sharing! I was just reading a devotional this morning that talked about the importance of encouragement in in-law relationships. And I agree…”thank God for sisters!” During my first year of college, my sister sent me a mix of Christmas songs in anticipation of me coming home for Christmas. Of course the last one was “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” 🙂