Family Focus
ENCOURAGING WORDS Dr. Gary Chapman
Giving verbal compliments is only one way to express words of affirmation to your spouse. Another dialect is encouraging words. The word encourage means “to inspire.”
Courage. All of us have areas in which we feel insure. We lack courage, and that lack of courage often hinders us from accomplishing the positive things that we would like to do. The latent potent within your spouse in his or her areas of insecurity may await your encouraging words. Allison had always liked to write.
Late in her college career, she took a few courses in journalism. She quickly realized that her excitement about writing exceeded her interest in history, which had been her academic major. It was too late to change majors, but after college and especially before the first baby, she wrote several articles.
She submitted one article to a magazine, but when she received a rejection slip, she never had the courage to submit another. Now that the children were older and she had more time to contemplate, Allison was again writing.
Keith, Allison’s husband had paid little attention to Allison’s writing in the early days of their marriage. He was busy with his own profession and trying to make a place for himself in that world.
In time, however, Keith had realized that life’s deepest meaning is not found in accomplishments but in relationships. He had learned to give more attention to Allison and her interests. So, it was quite natural one night for him to pick up one of Allison’s articles and read it. When he finished, he went in the den where Allison was reading a book.
With great enthusiasm, he said, “I hate to interrupt your reading, but I have to tell you this. I just finished reading your article on “Making the Most of the Holidays’. Allison you’re a really good writer. This stuff ought to be published! You write clearly. Your words paint pictures that I can visualize. You have great ideas. You have to submit this one to some magazines.
“Do you really think so?” Allison asked hesitantly.
“I know so,” Keith said. “I’m telling you, this is good.” When Keith left the room, Allison did not resume her reading. With the closed book in her lap, she dreamed for thirty minutes about what Keith had said. She wondered if others would view her writing the same way he did. She remembered the rejection slip she had received years ago, but she reasoned that she was a different person now. Her writing was better.
She had more experiences. Before she left the chair to get a drink of water, Allison had made a decision. She would submit her articles to some magazines. She would see if they could be published. Keith’s encouraging words were spoken many years ago. Allison has had numerous articles published since then and now has a book contract.
She is an excellent writer, but it took the encouraging words from her husband to inspire her to take the first step in the arduous process of getting an article published.