Hello, God. It's me, Mara.

You know, Lord, encouragement is like oxygen - we can't live without it. It was lovely watching two little kids the other day. They were probably both about 3 years old. Little "Ricky" was trying hard to get the wrapper off of a stick of gun. His friend, "Emmy," was watching him, suggested he watch how she did it. He watched his little neighbor girl slowly unwarp her stick of gum. Then he tried again as she encouraged him, step by step, to unwrap it from the side, not from the top. She chuckled as she said, "You are little, Ricky, but I know you like gum and I know you can do it." Slowly, Ricky got the paper off and stuck the gum in his mouth and they both laughed as Emmy said, "Ricky, you are good, I knew you could do it." Lord - these were just little kids!

J.J. shared a tale about his grandfather trying so hard to tie his shoes after a cast was removed from his arm. "Grandpa, I know that, right now, things are hard for you and I know you want to relearn, so bend over, take the laces, one is each hand, yes, just like that. I know your wrist/arm/hand are stiff and sore, but after all the years you've tied your shoes, I know you can do it." So, Grandpa took the laces as J.J. watched, and encouraged him and very slowly, Grandpa got the knot tied and secured the bow. "Yay!" They both said and smiled.

"I knew you could do it." J.J. said.

Thank You, Lord, for sending encouragement our way when we need to press on. We hear You say, "You can do it!" We can read in 1 Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

Love, Mara