Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as in fact you are doing" (I Thessalonians 5:11 NIV).

We are shaped by words from those who love us or refuse to love us. And we are shaped by the words of those who don't even know our names. It is the heart cry of all mankind to be loved and accepted, and sometimes a simple word of encouragement can make all the difference.

William Barclay once said, "One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement. It is easy to laugh at men's ideals; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise, of thanks, of appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man (or woman) who speaks such a word."