THURSDAY

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

• Who can you encourage today?

Have you ever played the game Jenga? The one with all the wooden slabs, initially formed in a small tower and, by the end, a precarious one? The trick with Jenga, as any Jenga professional will tell you, is to be slow and methodical instead of fast and impulsive. Taking out each piece requires precision, and precision requires patience.

If you’ve ever played Jenga, you know the agonizing waiting of the game, pleading silently that your pull won’t be the pull that ends the game. Although it takes measured and unhurried movements to construct the column, it can topple over violently in a millisecond.

Perhaps this is why Paul uses the metaphor of building when discussing encouragement. Encouraging others is a patient task: laborious and time-consuming to do right. Kind words take ample amounts of reinforcement, whereas one hurtful comment can cause a violent collapse in someone’s soul.

And so, this week, look for ways to patiently encourage others to slowly but surely build up the people in your community until they are strong, vibrant individuals. And remember that one impulsive word can destroy in seconds.