My third-grade year started out rather ominously. One day our teacher wasn’t at the front of the classroom. Our eight-year-old brains didn’t grasp exactly what a cancer diagnosis meant, but we did understand that Mrs. Harris wasn’t coming back.

We continued learning cursive writing and multiplication tables from a string of substitutes who flowed through the classroom. But everything changed when Miss Marquardt stepped through the door. Miss Marquardt had a different style of teaching. We still learned three times three equaled nine and how to loop a perfect S. But this teacher also encouraged our creativity. We made dioramas and performed silly skits. We wrote stories and created our own picture books.

When third grade ended, I regretted having to leave Miss Marquardt’s classroom. Thankfully, by the end of the school year, my mother and Miss Marquardt had become acquainted through our church. My favorite teacher began showing up at our dinner table and at family events.

Somehow, this teacher/family friend took an interest in ordinary me. Her simple act of noticing me made me feel special. And a shy, quiet girl began to bloom under her attention.

Continue reading at PerennialGen to learn 3 ways to become a true encourager!

And if you want even more information about encouragement, check out my post, “My Top Five Encouragement Phrases.”

Years ago a friend came to our house broken and discouraged. His heart was more than bruised. It had been stomped on, kicked in, and used as a punching bag.

His wife had just asked for a divorce.

My husband is a pastor and this man was not only a friend, but a member of our congregation. He came to my husband for counseling. For support.

That first night all we did was hug him. Cry with him.Sit in shock with him.

He came often to talk with my husband, but one day he arrived when my husband wasn’t home yet. This twenty-something man shuffled in like a person sixty years older. Shoulders slumped, he made his way to the sofa, but didn’t even make it to the seat. Instead he slid down to the floor in a ball of tears and desperation.

My kids were running around the house and I wasn’t sure what to do. So I just slumped down on the floor, leaning against a nearby chair, and sat with him.

As his sadness permeated the room and my own soul, I remembered Psalm 42–the place I always go when my heart is shattered. While we sat on the floor I shared how this psalm encourages me when I’m in a pit of discouragement.

Acknowledge the Feelings

King David must have been in a broken state when he wrote the words:

Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad? (Psalm 42:5a)

I love how David talks to his soul. He takes the first step and acknowledges the sadness, the depression, the emptiness.

The first step I take is to recognize all the pain in my heart. I name the emotions no matter how ugly. 

Look Toward God

But David doesn’t let his heart stay in that desperate place. He immediately encourages his soul:

I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and  my God! (Psalm 42:5b)

The second step to take when I’m heartbroken and discouraged is to stop looking at the problem and remind my heart to look toward God. 

After I acknowledge my discouragement I need to turn to the Source of hope.

Remember God’s Help in the Past

Next I need to remember how God has brought me through all my other deep and desperate places. David wrote:

 Now I am deeply discouraged,
    but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
    from the land of Mount Mizar. (Psalm 42:6)

I need to recall how the Lord has guided me through my valleys and back to the mountaintop. He has brought me through sadness and depression before. He will do it again.

Turn Times of Discouragement Into Times of Intimacy with God.

Finally, I need to realize that times of discouragement can be a time of intimacy with God. 

David wrote:

As the deer longs for streams of water,
    song for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

When the world stomps on my heart there is Someone who can mend it. and satisfy my soul. When I face deserts of disappointment, I need to realize that God is the only One who can truly quench my thirst and satisfy my soul.

When I face deserts of disappointment, I realize God is the only One who can truly quench my thirst. Click To Tweet

I’m not sure my words of encouragement helped my friend going through a divorce more than just sitting with him.

But Psalm 42 is the place I go when discouragement and disappointment visit my life.

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Psalm 42 is the first psalm in Book II which includes Psalms 42-75. This book of psalms is sometimes called the “Elohim Psalter Part 1” because Elohim is the name for God used most often. Elohim is the Hebrew name for God that is used in the very first sentence of the Bible. So the name Elohim reminds us that He is the Creator, the One who began it all. Many of the psalms in Book II are written by David, but some are written by the sons of Korah– Levites that David put in charge of music at the tabernacle.

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Next step: Are you brokenhearted or discouraged? Which of the four steps do you need to take today? Acknowledging your feeling? Looking away from the problem and toward God? Remember God’s help in the past? Realizing this time of disappointment may lead to greater intimacy with God? Journal your response.

When we’re discouraged, disappointed, or frustrated, we need a great encourager. Someone like a the little girl I saw at a Cubs baseball game.

I was at the Cubs game with my two favorite men: my husband, John, and son, Nathaniel, when a girl sporting a pink knit cap called out, “Let’s go Cubbies!”  

The crowd responded, “Let’s go!”  

The little girl called out again, “Let’s go Cubbies!  

The crowd shouted back, “Let’s go!”  

The Cubbies were down 2-1 and definitely needed some encouragement. So this young girl in the stands took it upon herself to cheer them on. She chanted, “Let’s go Cubbies!” for three full innings!  

And you know what? The Cubbies won! They were down to their last out, last strike when the batter hit a double and the two men on base ran home. The field erupted in joy.

When I Need Someone to Cheer Me On  

Sometimes I feel like I’m down to my last out, my last strike. I want to give up. Things are looking hopeless.  

I could use someone to cheer me on.  

Then I remember that I do have someone–Someone to encourage me.  

Before Jesus left this earth, He promised to send an Encourager.  

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17

The Greek word for Helper is parakletos. A parakletos is someone who stays by your side. Someone who comforts you. Someone who encourages you.  

Look at John 14:16 from the Amplified Version to get an even bigger picture of what the Holy Spirit is to us:  

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever.

The Holy Spirit is Our Cheerleader (And More)

The Holy Spirit is our cheerleader who yells encouragement when we’re down 2-1 and in the last inning.

The Spirit is the One who stays by our sides when everything looks hopeless.

He’s the One who comforts us when we’re lonely, rejected, or in pain.

The Holy Spirit comforts our aching souls.

He counsels us, coaching us on the next play in our game of life.

The Spirit helps us hear God’s voice even when He seems far away.

He prays for us when we don’t know how to pray.

He is our Advocate before God, pleading for our cause.

He strengthens us when the stress and strain of life saps all our strength.

He is our Standby, the pinch hitter who takes over for us when we have nothing left to give.

The Holy Spirit strengthens and encourages through every inning of life and stands by us to the end  

The Holy Spirit is our cheerleader. He is the Great Encourager.

I can almost hear Him calling, “Let’s go, Sharla! Let’s go!”  

Can you hear Him call out your name?