Being encouraging to others is more important than you think. You may be the only positive influence that someone has in their life. When you are encouraging to others, you let God's light shine through you.
As a kid, I remember my grandmother always being uplifting. No matter what life threw her, she had a positive attitude. I remember seeking advice and wisdom from her when faced with life's struggles. No matter what situation I brought to her, she always had something encouraging to say. My grandmother wasn't positive because she had the greatest life growing up. She wasn't positive because everything went her way and she never had to struggle. She was the way she was because she had the holy spirit inside of her. In fact, she had so much holy spirit inside her that she couldn't keep it contained and it overflowed abundantly.
My grandmother grew up during the depression. She knew what it was like to have nothing. Her father died at a young age, and her mother had to get odd jobs to put food on the table. Times were not great, but she always had Jesus with her growing up. One thing that I remember her telling me was to “kill them with kindness.” No matter how bad of a day I was having or how much someone wronged me, I was to continue being kind to that person. She lived her life by this principal. I never saw my grandmother discouraged even when she got cancer for the second time. She always was encouraging no matter what.
Why should we be encouraging?
When you are out at the store or the restaurant, remember to continue to be encouraging. Greet people with a smile and a friendly hello. When you ask someone how they are doing, genuinely mean it. Your acts of kindness may be just what that other person needed that day. Not only does being encouraging to others make them feel good, but it also makes you feel good as well.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NASB Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
Hebrews 10:25 NASB not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
Being encouraging is the easiest thing that you can do to brighten up someone's day. If you are looking for a real way to positively impact someone's life, look no further than your attitude.