A Lady Bug Moment
By Shauna Leis
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Hebrews 3:13
My precious four year old is singing in our church’s children’s Easter program, and this year we are all about bugs. One of my favorite songs in the program is called “A Lady Bug Moment,” and of course I know the words because we listen to it every day on the way to work and on the way home from work. It goes something like this…“I’m a little lolly, roly, poly, lady bug. Everybody thinks that I am sort of cute. They all smile when they see me underneath the rug. They pick me up when other bugs get the boot. Oh, it’s good to help folks smile, to help them recall God’s creative style. Oh it’s good to have a lady bug moment and be thankful for a while. Oh, it’s good to help folks smile.”
At first I just smiled because the song was so incredibly precious coming out of Grace’s mouth. But then I started to really listen to the words of the song, and I smiled even more. What a tremendously appropriate song! When is the last time that we really made someone else smile?
The Greek word for encourage is protrepo, and it literally means “to urge forward, persuade.” Webster’s dictionary also says that encourage means “to give hope and courage to.” So, now we must ask ourselves the question, not just when was the last time that we have made someone smile, but when is the last time that we have truly encouraged someone? When was the last time that we have given them hope and instilled courage to just continue on? Unfortunately for most of us the answer is probably not frequently enough.
Most of us get so busy with life that we forget about the other people out there doing life with us and the fact they could use a bit of hope from someone today. My husband needs to know that his efforts to provide for our family have not gone unnoticed. My children crave a bit of encouragement every day that they are doing a good job at school and life in general. Even friends need to be lifted up at various times in their lives because of circumstances crushing in around them.
Probably one of the greatest encouragers in the New Testament is the apostle Paul. Perhaps the reason that Paul was such a strong encourager is because of all that he went through for the Gospel of Christ. He went from persecuting the early Christians and signing their death warrants to becoming one of the greatest witnesses for the Christian faith to this day. Paul knew that the early Christians were going to need some serious encouragement to “fight the good fight of the faith” in 1 Timothy 6:12.
In his letters to Timothy, Paul encourages his understudy numerous times to stay strong in his witness after Paul was imprisoned or even put to death. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 says, “For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Paul knew that Timothy and the other early Christians were going to experience opposition and might run out of steam in their own ministries. His reminder was an encouragement to everyone that God put His own Spirit in us to give us power – He did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity.
To the church in Ephesus, Paul gives some tremendous encouragement. Ephesians 4:29-32 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Paul wanted these Christians to continue to grow in their knowledge of God and how they should be acting now that they had received the truth of Christ’s sacrifice for all mankind.
My question now circles back to all of us. When is the last time that you had a “lady bug moment?” When have you intentionally worked at giving other people encouragement? I admit that I am in the same boat with the rest of you that I have to work at this. Each day I have to ask myself who I have encouraged with my words and actions. Have I told my children how proud I am of them? Have I told my husband that he does a great job in being a father? Have I told my boss that we respect his authority? Have I told my pastor how much that last sermon meant to me?
If our answer to any of these questions is “no,” then I hope that we all focus on finding our “lady bug moments.” People around us need to know that we care and are focused on their needs instead of our own. Will you join me today in a quest to be an encourager, to put just a little bit of hope back into our society?
Pray with me: Almighty God, oh how we long to be encouragers for You. We want to find “lady bug moments” along the way to remind people of hope and help them smile once again. We want to share with them the joy that comes from knowing You. Lord, teach us through these great examples how to be encouragers. God, we love You so very much and pray all of this in the name above all names, Jesus Christ! Amen.