Stuart’s teaching continues to help people experience Life!
When Fanny Crosby was six weeks old, she was blinded for life. But as she grew, her grandmother would meticulously and carefully describe the world to her. She became Fanny’s eyes.
She also discovered the girl had a real gift for poetry, so she began to work with Fanny on her writing—affirming and encouraging her all the while. That filled Fanny with tremendous hope that God could use even her.
As a result, Fanny Crosby wrote approximately 8,000 hymns, over 60 of which are still in common usage today… 150 years after they were written!
How in the world did a woman blind from birth accomplish so much for God? Through the relentless affirmation and encouragement of a grandmother.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is absolutely no way of gauging the hope that can come when you take the time to encourage someone. Affirmation can take the form of a note, a card, a letter, a kind word, a smile, or a handshake. And anybody can do that!
In 1 Thessalonians 1:4, Paul took the trouble to encourage the church at Thessalonica. He writes,
For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you…
Paul didn’t tell them anything new. He simply encouraged them by affirming them in their faith.
When you do the same, you give people hope, confidence, and comfort. All these things are wrapped up in the word encouragement. And anybody can do that… including you!