I am my Greatest Cheerleader

One of my greatest pleasures is to be an encourager to others. I think that was my main motivation to start blogging. I know my mission in life is to dish out a little encouragement and motivation to others for each new day. I'm sure of it. But while I’m pointing one finger at all of you, I have four fingers that point back at me. That’s a good thing because I know I need to be uplifted and cheered on, too! Who do you hang around with the most? YOU! And, of all people we may look to – it should be ourselves who motivate and encourage US the most. What do you say and think each day to encourage YOU? Being aware of what we think inside our heads or inside our hearts really does make a difference. It can make us feel better or worse. Do you de-value yourself by saying” I'm so stupid. I'm so fat. I'm so sick and tired. I'm so sad. I'm so lonely. I'm so afraid." Then, that's probably your reality. Proverbs 4:23 says “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” Don't you love hanging out with those people who just naturally find something good to say to you? They make you feel good about yourself. We might be a trustworthy and devoted friend to others. We are always building them up and encouraging them. So, why not do that, today, for YOU? Believe me, I am my own greatest cheerleader. I have a wonderful family, and incredibly special friends, but they are busy with their own lives. Depending on them to be my 24/7 cheerleaders, would be absurd. I don’t have to depend on them because I encourage myself DAILY. Here’s how! I do it like David did. "David encouraged himself IN THE LORD." (1 Samuel 30:6) David sang "Oh, magnify the Lord with me." "Magnify" means "to enlarge or make bigger in perspective." We can't make God any bigger than He already is -- we can't increase omnipotence -- but we can magnify our perspective of God. And perspective has everything to do with whether we are encouraged or discouraged. We can magnify God by speaking of His greatness, His power, His might, His love for us. And when we make God bigger, we make our troubles smaller. As David sang his songs of praise, a change came over him. A spark of faith brought a glimmer of hope, and David could feel himself becoming stronger. David spoke to his soul: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation, and my God." (Psalm 42:5) I’ve heard we’re a little loco if we talk to ourselves. But, oh contraire! We need to be talking to ourselves more than we are listening to ourselves. When we encourage ourselves in the Lord, we recover our joy! I'm not talking about a surface joy, but a deep, abiding joy, that can be present even in the middle of sorrow. I know that JOY, because I get encouraged everyday by my closest friend -- ME! And you can be encouraged by your closest friend, too -- YOU! Let’s get our pom poms out and create a pep rally FOR ourselves! "I've got spirit, yes, I do; I've got spirit, how about YOU?”