The tale of two sons and the power of encouraging words for kids.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Seriously, we have an encouragement epidemic in our culture. You heard it here first. There is power in using encouraging words for kids. It’s absolutely vital. I was at a cookout a while back with a friend of mine. He has two grown sons. Both sons are out of the house and married. But, this dad explained how both sons seemed to be on very different trajectories in life.

Does this ring any bells for you? If you have more than one child, does it feel like one’s always crushing life and one’s always lagging behind?! I know, not you. Not YOUR kids. Just read this post “for a friend” who might need it! Honestly, see what this one dad did. It might unlock something you should do with your kids.

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.“ —1 Thessalonians 5:11

Back to this cookout with a friend. This dad was telling me a story about his two boys and in his view—one of his sons is really on track spiritually. He’s leading his wife, he’s in the Word, leading Bible study, managing money well, and taking the lead as a husband and a dad.

Now, this same dad was telling me about his other son—Son B—let’s call him. This dad was sharing his concern that Son B—even though he wasn’t apostate—he just wasn’t intentional. Meaning, the second son is a little sloppy in the marriage—not intentionally managing finances, not leading in the church, not even attending church. So, this dad felt like he kind of had sons going in different directions.

One was on track. One was off track. Then, the dad said he was praying and in his praying for his two sons—he just felt impressed that he should do something with these two boys.

Now, pause for a second.

I don’t know what you’re thinking. But, when the dad said this to me—there were a few seconds between when he said it and when he told me what he did. I had already concluded what he was going to do in my head.

Having heard this kind of impression the dad had on his heart and what he thought God might be wanting him to do next—I assumed the dad would go to the boy who was off track and correct, or gently get his boy back on track—but that’s where the story didn’t go.

So, let’s go back to the story.

The dad says to me he was praying for his two boys and he felt like God was encouraging him to go to his son who’s on track and tell his him, “Way to go. You’re doing a great job leading your family.”

So, this dad had a choice to make. Rebuke the off-track son or encourage the on-track son. This dad felt like God was telling him to encourage the on-track son.

Let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 5:11 cause that’s immediately the verse that came to mind when I heard this story. It says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Hear that? It says “just as you are doing”. So, here are two messages. We are to encourage one another. But, notice what Paul’s doing with the church. Here, they’re already encouraging each other. He says, “do more of it.” So, even in this verse, there’s encouragement on top of the encourager right, “Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing”.

So, dad, this will tie into our mission for this week.

Your mission and the power of encouraging words for kids

Here’s your mission. I want to send you out like the hunter you are—on the prowl. What you’re looking for is your kids doing SOMETHING RIGHT.

In my house, I could be correcting my kids all day. You may be in that same boat. Maybe you have grown kids or little small toddlers. Go find them doing something right. So, you’re gonna be like a hunter—really looking for them doing something right.

Maybe it’s something really simple.
Maybe they hung their coat on the rack as you told them one thousand times.
Maybe what they did was something interesting and more spiritually dynamic.
Maybe they encourage someone at school who was an outsider.
Maybe your child did something difficult but it was spiritually the right thing to do

Go find that thing and let’s encourage our kids just as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “Therefore, encourage one another…” Because, when we do, we build one another up.