deprivation

...he giveth his beloved sleep. {Psalm 127:2}

for as long as i can remember, i have had a love/hate relationship with sleep. i have always envied my mother's ability to fall asleep the moment that she laid her head down on the pillow. instead of inheriting her sleep 'gene', i have instead taken after my grandmother, who herself often found sleep more elusive than not.

before last night, i have not had a solid, uninterrupted night of sleep in over two weeks. i have made an art out of waking up many times during the hours when the lucky/blessed people are all sleeping soundly. the sleep deprivation has not left me on my best game. sadly, it makes me less likely to listen, more likely to jump to conclusions and way too likely to be overly self-centered.

i've recently been reminded of something else that too many of us walk around deprived of: encouragement. i don't think any of us too often walk through our lives thinking, "i really wish someone would encourage me today." but in those rare, golden moments when someone actually goes out of their way to encourage us, whether verbally or written, it can be cool water to a soul that didn't realize it was dry and thirsty.

who in your world needs your encouraging words today?

what is stopping you from giving them that gift?

you need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. when we all help one another, everybody wins. {jim stovall}