Today I was encouraged.
While reading Scripture, I was encouraged.
But it might not be from a verse you would expect. Typically the passages that come to mind when we’re seeking encouragement are things like:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea… He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ “ Psalm 46:1-2, 10
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
“…with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Instead, I was encouraged by Ecclesiastes 1:2 which says, “ ‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ ”
You may not be reading this as an encouraging word, but what is encouragement really?
I’ve been told “encourage” is to give someone courage. It’s supporting them, usually verbally, in such a way that allows them to borrow your own courage when they can’t find their own.
Another way to describe encouragement is “confidence.” There’s an assumed trust when we encourage one another that usually the thing being encouraged is good. Unfortunately sometimes in Christianity we equate “good” with “easy” and our faith narrows as a result. We say things like “everything happens for a reason” which is simply not true nor found in Scripture. Or we’ll hear phrases like “just have faith” or “just pray about it” or even “let go and let God” as words of encouragement.
But this kind of encouragement pressures the receiver to deny the very real pain, sorrow, and obstacles that have led them to need encouragement in the first place. It furthers toxic positivity, diminishes or ignores the struggles, and kills the environment that allows faith to grow. It also ignores the verses in Scripture that suggest one of the ways our faith grows is through hardships. Let me be clear–this kind of false encouragement is not the way of Jesus.
It leaves no room for lament, which is practiced in the Bible far more than we are comfortable with. Crying out to God, asking “How long, O Lord?” or “Why God?” are more often used to encourage faith in Scripture than we might realize. Some of Jesus’ last words were “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and not “this too shall pass.”
I think this is part of why I love Ecclesiastes so much, and why I find it encouraging.
For me, encouragement is defined as “hope.” These verses give hope without ignoring pain. Ecclesiastes gives me clear expectations for before, during, and after the hardship.
It reminds me I’m not alone, and that others have experienced what I’m going through and survived, too: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9
It reminds me of what’s truly most important in life and faith: “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 1:14
It reminds me that my capacity for pain increases as I learn more about the world, and my capacity for empathy increases along with it: “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.” Ecclesiastes 1:18
And it reminds me that sometimes all I can do to feel better is eat a good meal! “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” Ecclesiastes 2:24-25
So what is encouragement really? For me, it’s reality with hope mixed in. It points toward a whole, healed future while still recognizing the pain of the past. It provides grounding for the present. And it trusts that mysteriously and miraculously, God can be trusted and in the end it’s all going to be okay.
Today I was encouraged.
I was encouraged by God’s truth in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that “no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Praise God for that!
