Encouraged in Heart

Today is the day to post our second memory verse of the year on the LPL Blog. The last few days I have been searching and asking what my next verse should be, and this morning something came to me. The main word I heard was "mystery." See Drew is going to a 16th birthday party for a friend from school, and it's going to be a murder mystery set in the 1920's. He is having such fun finding clothes to wear for this. He dressed up last night in one of K's old suits and looked fabulous! So this morning, I remembered reading a verse about Christ being the mystery of God, and I started searching for it. Sure enough it's in Colossians 2:2-3, "My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

I want you to notice that it also has the word "encouraged" in there. See this week in our Can We Talk? Bible study, we've been studying the tongue. One thing that jumped out at me during this week's readings is that we should be encouraging one another. You know how themes seem to come in multiples. As I left the preschool area a few minutes ago, I heard our director giving a parent encouraging words about their child. Don't we all want that - for our children for ourselves?

Now let me be the first to say that I don't do near enough encouraging - coworkers, spouse, child, friends, etc. It's too easy to get wrapped up in self and all "I" have to do that encouraging falls by the wayside. So it's now become a goal with me to be more of an encourager and less of a discourager. I'm hoping to stop and think more often BEFORE I say something rather than after!

So I believe this is the PERFECT scripture memory verse for me over these next two weeks...and the rest of the year. I pray that this doesn't just get into my head, but that it also gets into my heart!