Encouragement

Once, at the end of a lecture, Dr. Alexander Papaderos, a Greek philosopher and founder of an institute on the island of Crete, was asked, “What is the meaning of life?” Rather than dismissing such a difficult question, he took from his pocket a small round mirror about the size of a quarter. He told how during World War II, he had rounded the edges of a larger piece of broken mirror from a wrecked German motorcycle in his village.

The small mirror began as a toy for a wartime child, but remained in his pocket as an adult. It became a metaphor to him for his purpose in life when he discovered he could use the small mirror to reflect light into a dark place. He came to realize, through the mirror, that his life needed to be a source of light to others; he needed to reflect light into the dark places of others’ lives. Perhaps, he said, by doing so, he might not change everything, but he might change some things in some people.

What I gleaned from that story is this: It doesn’t take a lot to be an encourager. Far too often, we think we’re not equipped to be an encourager. We don’t have the words or the wisdom or the wherewithal to truly make a difference. We may be too discouraged ourselves to think we could encourage anyone else. But that’s not true. Sometimes the smallest gesture, the simplest word, or the shortest visit can be enough to shine a light of encouragement into someone’s life.

Turning Points

April 2004

Page 17

Encouragement; Meaning; Light