Encouragement File!

When I decided to blog I had all these ideas in my head of what I wanted to say. Some good, some not so good and others that just not need to be said...anyway, my goal is to post one thought, idea or brain dump a week. I had so many things I was going to write for today's post but tonight I realized what I was supposed to write about - ENCOURAGEMENT! Everyone needs encouragement in some area of their life, especially if you are in ministry. The enemy wants to tear you down, and some days he may come close to succeeding so here is a quick tip. Make yourself and ENCOURAGEMENT FILE!!! I have one and I read through it from time to time. As a matter of fact I have two, and I'm getting ready to start a third one.
You see, one of them is notes, pictures and poems all from the same person. She was a student in the elementary department when I was the director. She used to draw me pictures and write me notes every week. Then one day I started keeping them in a folder and I still have them. She is seventeen now and I don't get as many as I used to, but ever now and again she will bring me something to add to my collection and it brightens my day.
The other file is a combination of thank you notes, birthday cards, emails, photos and drawings from kids, parents and team members. If it lifted my spirits when I read it, it went into the encouragement file. These things bless me! They remind me why it is I do what I do and they help me to keep on doing it. So I encourage you to start an ENCOURAGEMENT FILE of your own for when life gets hard. Just an idea!