"Encourage one another"

Yesterday I was on the trail (Johnstown to Newark) taking a walk with Jackson in his stroller. Normally, after a walk on the trail I return to tell Brian about all of the rude people. I hate when people walk by and won't utter a "hello" or even look in my direction. Yesterday was different though, every person I passed had a "good morning" or "Hi." I was shocked. One lady on a bike passed me early on in my walk and said "hello." She also passed me on the return and she remarked, "Wow, you made it far, good for you!" I was shocked that she would say all these things. Not only did she speak to me twice, BUT, she uttered some words of encouragement.

In the past year I have read the same book twice. A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George is a step-on-your-toes read about how Christian women should act- towards their husbands, children, friends, and church family. Many of the things in the book are controversial for some women, (i.e. her advice on being intimate with your husband whenever he wants, beginning your day by asking your husband, "what can I do today to make your life easier?"). I would note that her writing is Biblically accurate though. And while it is easy to argue with Elizabeth, it's much harder to argue with God.

Elizabeth spends some time on how as women one of our main jobs is to encourage others. The Virtuous Wife in Proverbs 31, "Opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." Proverbs 12:25 says "A good word makes (the heart) glad." But while many know of the Proverbs 31 woman, many have not read the verses in Titus which describe how women should act towards other women. "The older women likewise...that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands...." (Titus 2:3-5).

This woman on the trail was not that much older than me, but she was encouraging me. Maybe I am reading too much into it. But as a younger woman who just had a baby and who isn't always thrilled about taking a walk to burn off some of this baby weight, SHE WAS A BLESSING. How different this world might be if all women would stop back stabbing, speaking ill, gossiping, slandering, and for lack of a better word, just being plain nasty to other women. We need to be lifting up other women, not only with our prayer and our actions, but with our words. I'll admit this isn't always easy for me. "Wow, she looks like she's put on weight." Or "did you see those horrible shoes she was wearing?" I have to take the plank out of my own eye at many times, but my ultimate goal is the be as Christ-like as possible, using the women in Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 as an example for my life.