Daily Encouragement

Hi Swamp Blog Readers!

I hope you are having a super day. Believe it or not there is less than a month left until you can start signing up for summer camp! I will post about registration again closer to when it opens. In the meantime, campers can start thinking about what week(s) they want to go! Woohoo!

Biblical Encouragement

For this week's blog, I wanted to focus it on something that we talk about at camp a lot: encouragement. At Camp Swamp, we focus a lot on encouraging each other through fun, encouraging words, and quality time. One of the tried and true scriptures from the girls' ring of honor is about encouragement in Hebrews 3:13:

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today,' so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

This scripture is so true for all of us! We all need encouragement, and we all need to encourage others in order to feel connected and resist sin. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, it talks about how encouragement from another can help get us back up on our feet when we fall:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."

Sometimes, we can literally lift one another up with encouragement!

So, what are some biblical ways to encourage each other? In Ephesians 4:29 it talks about only speaking words that build one another up, and in Colossians 3:16 it talks about teaching and admonishing one another in wisdom. Proverbs 27:17 evokes the image of men sharpening one another as iron sharpens iron, implying that men are meant to change one another to become better than before.

Ideas to Encourage Others

So, what are some practical ways to encourage others? Well, the good news is there aren't any rules to it. It can be a small gesture or a grand act of kindness. But, for practical reasons, here are some ideas of how to encourage someone:

Tell them something they do well
Write them an encouraging note or card
Send them a text to let them know you're thinking about them
Do one of their chores for them
Leave them a little gift or some flowers
Make them a meal
Initiate meeting together and catching up
Ask them if they need a hug when they're feeling down

One of my favorite ways to encourage people is through writing and decorating cards.

All of these ideas fall into one of the five love languages. If you haven't heard of the five love languages, it is detailed in a book as well as an online quiz, which you can take here. By answering a series of questions, the quiz tells you how high or how low you rank each love language. The five love languages are words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch.

I highly recommend taking this quiz! It is a great way to find out how you feel encouraged, as well as, to find out the best way to encourage your friends and family. The Camp Swamp staff has used this resource in the past as a way to get to know one another.

I hope that you guys can encourage those in your life this week. And, Im praying that you all feel encouraged this week. Thank you so much for reading this week.

Until the next blog...

Much Love & Respect,

Julie