Howdy, everyone!
The other day, I was talking to a friend who lives in the same city as me about some things that have happened with family members that live on the other side of the Atlantic. We both wanted so badly to encourage these family members, but we didn’t know how! For me, encouraging someone usually means spending time with them, letting that person cry on your shoulder, grabbing a coffee with someone, and making that person laugh or distract them from what is going on in their lives by making new memories together.
So.... what does that look like from the other side of the ocean? How can we encourage someone that we barely see? How can we do “long-distance encouragement”?
I asked several friends that same question and after some brainstorming on my part, I came up with a couple of different things.
First off, I think that the most important and most effective way is prayer and reading the Bible together. Praying with that person through FaceTime or at the end of a voice message is an amazing way to lift someone’s spirits. One time, a friend prayed for me at the end of a voice message and that just really cheered me up. Doing different bible studies on the YouVersion Bible app together can also be great, as well as sending verses to each other. Another close friend of mine sent a picture of us together this summer with verses on top and it was just a really great reminder of past times that we spent with each other and the joy to come; it also served as a reminder of the memories that we will make later in time and just the joy that came from her visit and also how God is so amazing; through it all, He has a plan. Even if you don’t know how to encourage and comfort the person, God has a plan through it all, and He can comfort in ways you can’t if we “cast all our anxieties on him” (1 Peter 5:7a). He “cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7b) and he wants to hear your pains, your joys, and your sorrows, and He feels the same way about them.
Another one of the most encouraging ways that someone has helped me through hard times is just getting a text out of the blue that says “you can do this! I am praying for you!”. It reminds me that they care and that I can do this!
One of the friends that have honestly been the one of the most (if not the most) encouraging people in my life over the past year or two also tends to send me “virtual hug” GIFs. That always lifts my spirits and just warms my heart.
Using Amazon and online shopping, you can also do a week of small gifts leading up to a special day that you know will be hard for a friend, like an exam, the first day at a new school, or even maybe a trial.
Depending on the person, sometimes it is also good to get their mind off of the hardships of life and just laugh a little and have some fun, even in hard circumstances. It really depends on the person though, and I think that some people need you to just listen so that they can get the problem out of their system and just move on, and might be offended that you try to get them to laugh. Sometimes I think that it can be taken as if you are minimizing their problem.
I would also say that yet another essential part of encouraging someone is spending quality time with them. Since you can’t see each other, video calling is always awesome, but texting is also a good way to talk throughout the week because of the time change, school, and everything else we all have going on in our lives. Reach out to them out of the blue and ask how they are doing. Listen. Remind them of God’s love and His plan. Comfort in the ways that you know and then let God do the rest. Can any of you guys imagine living overseas without the internet and FaceTime? I think that I would get really good at writing letters….
Some other ways to encourage people are sending meals through Uber eats and other websites, letters and just being there for them.
What are some of the ways that people have helped you over the years? Let us know at tcktimes@gmail.com! We love hearing from everyone!
Also… I want to thank everyone who was involved in writing this article, and welcome Nayeli to the team. I am super excited that you joined!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas,
Rose 🌹
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