Daily Devotionals by Peter Kennedy: Devotional - Encourage People Posted by Peter Kennedy on Sunday Aug 24, 2014 under Devotions in Acts “When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,” – Acts 20:1-2 Judy Tatelbaum, a Christian licensed therapist in Carmel Valley, California wrote the following: “As a young social worker in a New York City psychiatric clinic, I was asked to see Roz, a 20-year-old woman who had been referred to us from another psychiatric facility. It was an unusual referral in that no information was received ahead of her appointment. I was told to ‘play it by ear,’ and to figure out what her problems were and what she needed. Without a diagnosis to go on, I saw Roz as an unhappy, misunderstood young woman who hadn’t been listened to in her earlier therapy. Her family situation was unpleasant. I didn’t see her as disturbed, but rather as lonely and misunderstood. She responded so positively to being heard. I encouraged her to start a life worth living—to find a job, a satisfying place to live and new relationships. We hit it off well, and she started making important changes in her life right away. The records from the previous psychiatric facility arrived a month after Roz and I began our successful work together. To my complete surprise, her records were several inches thick, describing a number of psychiatric hospitalizations. Her diagnosis was ‘paranoid schizophrenic,’ with a comment on her being ‘hopeless.’ That had not been my experience with Roz at all. I decided to forget those pieces of paper. I never treated her as if she had that ‘hopeless’ diagnosis. I did find out about the horrors for Roz of those hospitalizations, of being drugged, isolated and abused. First Roz found a job, then a place to live away from her difficult family. After several months of working together, she introduced me to her husband-to-be, a successful businessman who adored her. When we completed our therapy, Roz gave me the gift of a silver bookmark and a note that said, ‘Thank you for believing and encouraging me well. That made all the difference.’” Everyone needs encouragement in this life. Today in prayer, praise Jesus for the encouragement you have received from others and seek to encourage someone today to follow Christ. “Flatter me and I might not believe you. Criticize and I might not like you Ignore me and I might not forgive you Encourage me and I will not forget you.” – William Arthur Ward God’s Word: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:13 By Peter Kennedy, Copyright 2014, Devotional E-Mail DEVOTIONS IN ACTS
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 03:33:44 +0000
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