How To Be The Friend You Need – To Yourself
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Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
In the Last post, we talked about how we can encourage others. But, you know, there’s one more person that needs encouraging…You.
We all have moments of discouragement, trouble, and hopelessness. Who’s there for you when you are going through the muck? Even if you answer no one, you can still find the encouragement you need.
David, the second king of Israel, was frequently in a position of deep discouragement with no one to encourage him.
What did he do? Did he just stay down for the count because he didn’t have a friend to help him up? No, he encouraged himself.
In the Psalms, David showed us how to encourage ourselves.
Psalm 103:1-5 NASB
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Notice “O my soul.”
David is talking to himself. “Hey soul, pay attention to this”!
David is reminding himself of how good God is. He’s reminding himself all the incredible blessings that are available to him. He’s reminding himself that life isn’t just the difficulties that he’s facing.
Listed above are just some of the wonderful blessings from God. We have even more to be thankful for because of the finished work of Christ.
It can be so easy for us to look at our current circumstances and forget what it means to be in Christ. We lose heart when we feel like we’re drowning in painful circumstances or treading water in the daily grind.
We need to encourage ourselves daily that our Heavenly Father is good. We need to encourage ourselves daily that being In Christ can change our lives. We need to encourage ourselves daily that what we see is not all there is to life.
What are some ways we can encourage ourselves?
Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash
Remind
When you’re in those moments of discouragement, remind yourself of something God has done for you in the past. It may be an encouraging word He gave you. Maybe it’s a sermon you heard that spoke right to you when you needed it.
If you’re struggling to think of anything, remind yourself what Jesus did on the cross for you (John 3:16). You are now right with God (2 Corinthians 5:19). You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). You have eternal life. You are His beloved (Ephesians 1:6).
Journal
When you experience something wonderful, no matter how small, write it down. Your journal can be a pen and paper or you can use a digital journal. One great benefit of a digital journal is the ability to record memories with pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. You choose what works best for you.
The fabulous concept of the journal is you have something in writing that you can go back to again and again.
Photo by Malte Wingen on Unsplash
Music
Music? Yes, music? Music fills our souls and lifts our spirits.
A majority of the Psalms came straight from David creating music to lift his soul.
Find your favorites and put them in a playlist for easy access.
Read
Pull your Bible out and read some of the Psalms. Or, read the gospels. When you engage in the life of Jesus, His love for us will come across the pages and bring you encouragement.
You can also pull out a book that will encourage you. My favorite when I need to encourage myself is The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry. It’s all about our thought life and by choosing our thoughts we can experience a state of joy beyond our circumstances.
These are just a few of the ways you can encourage yourself when you’re down. It will help you change your state to one of joy. It will also help you encourage others. It’s hard to help someone when you’re down yourself.
And, hey, you don’t have to be down to encourage yourself. You can use encouragement to enjoy your life that much more.