Daily Devotionals
Devotional: 16th of Cheshvan
Adonai ELOHIM has given the ability to speak as a man well taught, so that I, with my words, know how to sustain the weary (Isaiah 50:4).
The prophet says that God has given him lashon limudim (a disciple's tongue), that knows how to sustain the weary. This is the gift of encouragement. It is the opposite of flattery, which uses words to entice and manipulate. The flatterer does not bother to discern the true character of the other person, but says whatever he must say to win the person over to his own designs. The gift of encouragement also differs from a mere pep talk that seeks to prop up the weary with positive generalizations. Instead, it sustains the person by observing his strengths, and affirming them in specific terms.
An old Yiddish saying tells us that "words should be weighed, not counted." We will not sustain the weary through an abundance of words, but through words that are carefully chosen to identify with the weary; words that recognize his struggle and affirm the gifts that God has given him to succeed.
...look for strengths in my brothers and sisters who may be weary, and I will affirm them in specific terms.
RR
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