Scrutiny.

Being able to encourage someone is such a awesome gift to have.

I have thought lately alot about encouragement and how often I have messed up when it came to situations where what was needed was love instead of judgement.

I think it possibly was because I grew up with a very legalistic view of Christianity.

I was the kid who constantly needed to do the right things to prove to myself that I was worthy of God's love.

It's funny how I think about it now and catch myself doing it.

I imagine this was the reason I constantly felt like I needed to go and have a massive emotional moment with God again to be free from my mistakes and when I didn't have that moment I assumed God wasn't speaking to me at the moment because He was so completely ashamed of me.

Talk about messed up....

I don't have any idea where this thinking came from. I came from a home that was filled with love.

Alot better than most of my teenagers have......

I eventually grew up and stepped into a Pastoral role where you are examined and scrutinized and looked at to set a example or to be the epitome of Holy. I have never had a issue doing this but it I think it set me on a course where I applied that same scrutiny to those who were in my charge.

If there is one thing I could stress to new youth pastors its that there kids/teens are going to mess up.

They aren't perfect and neither are you as a minister. If anything your probably just more polished but in some cases that teenager..... that can let things go and just love a person.............

has more of a heart like Jesus than the Pastor who can't.

Scrutiny is a hard thing to take. Most people don't want people to judge them.

Yet we all judge.

in some way we all judge.

from looks to behaviour to dress to attitude to actions.

We all scrutinize and judge others.

Which is why I think being a encourager is such an amazing thing.

It is taking a break from judging someone and turning your eyes upon them in a positive manner.

I can think of one situation off the top of my head where I was able to do this.

Some people were simply very bad at something but I was able to ignore how bad they were and focus instead upon the way they have improved.

I want more moments like these.

Lord

I want to try to encourage someone today....

Help me try really hard to have people leave from being around me and feel as if they have just received something that builds up what they are doing with there life.

Because our time is too short to be spent on destroying each other.

amen