Real Encouragement~Let Others See Christ In Me

1 Corinthians 2

Real encouragement is more about sightedness than it is about explanation. When I talk about sightedness, I am not talking about physical eyes, but the eyes of the heart. God has given us the capacity to “see” unseen spiritual realities that are as real and vital as any physical thing we can see or touch. Spiritual sightedness is a precious gift. 

We get overwhelmed and discouraged in relationships not because we don’t understand what is going on, but because we don’t see Christ. We see the husband who barely communicates. We see the friend who has been disloyal. We see the child who rebels. We see the boss who is unrelentingly critical. We see the wife who is bitter and angry. We see the small group frozen in casual relationships. We see neighbors more concerned about boundaries than community. Our relationship problems can loom so large that they obstruct our view of the one thing that can give us the hope and courage to go on—Christ. 

Encouragement is about giving struggling people the eyes to see an unseen Christ. He is the only hope when the call of relationship has taken me way beyond my own wisdom, strength, and character. As we live with each other in the middle of the already and the not yet, we need eyes to see this one amazing reality: we are Christ’s and he is ours.

~Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp