In August, Be an Encouragement!

One of MWC's primary functions is ENCOURAGING people -- encouraging them to choose life for their babies; to choose spiritual life for themselves; and to choose abstinence before and faithfulness in marriage. Every day we are faced with people who are making choices. In one day at the Center this week we saw the following: an abortion-minded woman, a woman with a negative pregnancy test, and a woman trying to decide whether to make an adoption plan for her unborn child -- all had serious choices to make! All required encouragement, and it needed to be more than, "I'm praying for you!"

Everyone needs a little encouragement now and then, don't we? I am so grateful for people who are encouragers. Some write little notes, or send funny cards, or bake cookies and drop them off at the Center. Others write long essays on how to stay positive while battling a negative culture, or send financial donations, or bring in diapers or grocery store gift cards for our clients. Still others offer to come in and volunteer or help out with a particularly challenging client or project. One little boy brought me a baby bottle with a few pennies in it -- talk about encouraging!

I am specifically lifting up our churches and pastors in prayer this next month because I want to not only receive encouragement but to be an encourager as well. So, would you all join me in finding ways during the month of August to BE an encourager to someone else at least once per day? Let me know how it goes, or if you want to do it in secret, that is ok, too!

When faced with discouraging situations or tough choices in life, whether it is pregnancy-related or just with life in general, as Christians, we can rely on the Word of God to help us. Our problems may not disappear or be magically solved, but we can have confidence in the Lord's faithfulness. I love the passage in Ephesians about the armor of God; it is encouraging to me to know that I have all the resources of God's protection for my life and especially the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." My struggle is to remember to use the resources of God and not to rely on my own thoughts or plans. Our clients have the same challenge, and even more when they don't know the Lord, or when they know Him but have not been taught how to apply biblical principles to their lives. God is able: I need to remember this myself and communicate it to our clients.