Wednesday Wisdom With Wyndham – 6
Wisdom to be an Encourager
Ahhh…encouragement. It does wonders for our confidence, our perseverance, and our overall outlook on life. Yet it’s often hard to find. Life can hit us hard, and Satan constantly accuses.
Just this morning, before I went to the chiropractor, I was feeling out of sorts (mostly caused from being out of alignment). I asked God if he would mind giving me a bit of encouragement today. In his infinite wisdom, he always knows what is needed. I just needed to tell him how I was feeling. As I closed my prayer, I received the email below, describing Wyndham’s wisdom shown through encouragement. Not only was I encouraged, but was reminded to be a daily encourager. Thank you, Leigh Ann. We love you dearly.
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. (Philemon 1:7)
I have the unique privilege of carrying the same last name as Wyndham. I married into the Shaw family almost twelve years ago. Not only am I beyond blessed to have Sam as my husband, I also have the most amazing in-laws who love me and have taught me so much.
It is difficult to share just one thing I have learned from Wyndham, because I could share many. He is a man of great strength and dignity, yet he is humble and meek. He is a man of deep conviction and he has a wealth of knowledge, yet he is eager to learn from others.
Wyndham is in a stage of life where he could be focused on himself and his own needs, and yet he looks for ways to encourage others. As his daughter-in-law, I am so fortunate to receive an abundance of encouragement from Wyndham.
I remember one day just a few months ago when I was in the throes of motherhood with a 5-year-old, a 3-year-old and a newborn. I was feeling particularly overwhelmed by a lack of sleep and the many tasks at hand. Satan was throwing his flaming arrows at me. Thoughts like “you’re an incompetent mom,” “you lack value,” “you are not good enough…” were swarming through my head that day. I was departing from a family party, and as I hugged Wyndham to say goodbye, he held me a little tighter and a little bit longer and said, “I love you. You’re a great mom and I’m grateful for the wife you are to my son.”
My eyes filled up with tears as I walked away (and as they are right now). He spoke words of encouragement that touched my soul. Wyndham’s words of encouragement remind me of a scripture in Hebrews 3:13, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
While I strive everyday to remember God’s love for me and to get my security and confidence from him, Satan is a strong enemy and his flaming arrows of lies come to attack everyday. It is refreshing to have someone help deflect those arrows. Wyndham does this for me and for so many others. I want to imitate his example and encourage others daily as he does.
Leigh Ann Shaw
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I could fill a daily blog for years with wisdom I have learned from Wyndham. However, I’ll stick with one day a week. Each Wednesday I will share wisdom gleaned, not just from me, but from our family who saw him day and night and from friends near and far whose lives he has touched.
Many of you have already told me you wish to share wisdom you learned from Wyndham. If you wish to contribute to this collection please email me at shaw.jeanie@gmail.com with the subject line—Wednesday Wisdom. If you wish to receive these blogs in your inbox, feel free to sign up to follow the blog.
I’ll look forward to meeting you here on Wednesdays. And if you would, please remember us in your prayers. It’s a privilege to have you in our lives.
I think sometimes it is selfish to ask for a little encouragement from God. I am reminded by this post how much God is a ‘good Father’ that always wants to give us the best, thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for the encouragement, Mark. Love you and Beth very much.
Just a few encouraging words can change a person’s perspective and stop Satan’s whispers. Thanks for these timely thoughts!
So true. Thanks for the encouragement.