Tag Archive for: Proverbs 11:25

Full Circle Encouragement

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Proverbs 11:25 — A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Some days, advice comes out of my mouth a whole lot easier than it is to hear it.

Yeah, recently I was encouraging someone. We were having a long conversation over coffee, and I meant every word I said.

“God’s got you. Don’t settle. Don’t rush it. Wait for His best.”

Then I went home, sat down at my computer to get some work done. The internet was slow so I was left staring straight into that spinning blue circle of death.

You know the one. That little wheel that just goes round and round making no progress like it’s got all the time in the world. And wouldn’t you know, that’s exactly what my life felt like in that moment. Waiting on a breakthrough. Waiting on God’s timing. Waiting on something—anything—to move forward.

That’s when the temptation creeps in.

“Maybe I’ll just settle.

“Maybe this is close enough.

“Maybe waiting is overrated.”

Which is funny, considering what I just told my friend.

Then, out of nowhere, my phone buzzed.

A message popped up from another friend, and I had to laugh—out loud—because there it was. Nearly word for word.

“Don’t settle. God’s got you. Hold out for His best.”

And then it hit me: sometimes God brings encouragement full circle. We all get discouraged at times, and the very seeds of encouragement we sow into other’s lives, God uses them to comfort us.

Scripture puts it plain as day. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” And sometimes that generosity isn’t money — it’s encouragement. It’s truth spoken at the right time. It’s hope offered when someone else is tired. And God promises that what we pour out, He pours back in.

The blue circle on my screen was still spinning. The situation hadn’t magically resolved. But something in me had settled—not into compromise, but into trust. I took a deep breath. I remembered what I already knew. God wastes nothing. Not words. Not waiting. Not even the sermons we preach to ourselves and forget five minutes later.

So if today feels like you’re stuck in that waiting place—watching life buffer while everyone else seems to move on—hear this gently. The kindness you’ve shown. The prayers you’ve prayed. The hope you’ve spoken out loud when you didn’t feel it yourself… none of it is lost.

It may come back to you in a text. Or a conversation. Or a quiet reminder right when you need it most.

And when it does, maybe you’ll smile too—realizing you didn’t need a new sermon after all.

You just needed to take your own good advice to heart.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When was the last time you encouraged someone with words you needed to hear yourself?
  • Where in your life are you tempted to “settle” instead of trusting God’s timing?
  • Proverbs 11:25 promises that those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. How have you experienced that truth personally?
  • What seeds of encouragement have you planted recently — and how might God be using them in ways you cannot yet see?
  • If you took your own best advice to heart today, what would change?
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How Two Wheels Touched Two Families

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Proverbs 11:25 — A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

My dad has this cool story. One December, while he was on patrol, a call came in about a stolen bike. When he arrived, the little boy stood beside a patch of flattened grass where his bike used to be.

The boy was calm, but my dad could see the disappointment in his eyes.

What he later found out was that the boys family had no money to replace the bicycle. They were just trying to make it through the holiday season, the same as most people. He drove away feeling the weight of it.

That evening, on his way home, he called Mom. I can picture her leaning against the kitchen counter, listening quietly while he told her about the boy. Money was already tight for them too.

But she agreed. They could do without a few comforts this year to help that boy. They bought the boy a new bike—bright, simple. It was the kind any kid would be proud of.

They delivered it a few days later, and Dad said the boy’s whole face lit up.

A few weeks later, a letter from the state showed up. Dad opened it at the kitchen table, probably expecting some form he needed to sign. Instead, he found a tax refund they had not known about. The amount inside nearly matched the cost of the bike.

He held it for a long moment, then handed it to Mom. They laughed together, astonished. It was impossible not to feel that God had met them in that small act of generosity.

It reminded me of Proverbs 11:25: “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” My parents had stepped into someone else’s need, and in turn, they had been met in their own.

That story stays with me because it reminds me to pay attention to the needs around me. Even a small act—helping a neighbor, giving a gift, offering encouragement—can become someone else’s Christmas miracle. And sometimes, the blessing comes full circle, lifting our own hearts along the way.

So, who might God be calling you to bless this season?

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When was the last time you noticed someone’s need—and did you act on it or walk away?
  • What comforts or conveniences might you be willing to sacrifice to bless someone else this season?
  • Have you ever experienced God meeting you in the midst of your generosity? What did that teach you about His character?
  • Who in your life right now might be quietly carrying disappointment or lack—someone God is nudging you to see?
  • How might your simple, ordinary kindness become someone else’s Christmas miracle?
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How Love Builds A Home

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Proverbs 11:25 — “A generous person will be enriched, and one who gives water will get water.”

The first time Gloria saw them, they were sitting close together, five little boys with eyes too old for their years. They had been left behind, and no one wanted them because they came as a set.

She had no husband and no savings worth talking about, but she had love. She knew it was not meant to stay locked up in her heart. So, Gloria brought them home.

Segun came first. Then Tunde. Then the twins, Ikenna and Ifeanyi, who doubled the noise in the house overnight. Last was Chuka, the baby, with his wide grin and sticky fingers.

It was not easy. There were hospital visits. School fees that never seemed to end. Nights when the cupboards were nearly bare. But there was also laughter—so much laughter. There were rainy days when they danced barefoot in the yard. There were Sunday mornings filled with biscuits and gravy and the sound of gospel music pouring out the windows.

They grew up faster than she wanted them to. One became a builder. Another started a charity. One moved far away to teach. Two wore police badges. But no matter where they went, they always came back home.

Then one day, they told Gloria to close her eyes.

Segun took his mother’s hand. Gravel crunched under their shoes as they led her forward.

When Gloria opened her eyes, she saw it. A brand-new house.

Now her brand-new house.

“You gave us a home when no one else would,” Tunde said. “Now it is our turn.”

She held her hands close to her heart, tears forming in her eyes.

She saw that God never lets love come back empty. She had given with the little she had, and God gave her a life richer than she could have ever imagined.

And I cannot help but wonder—if love can do this in that mother’s corner of the world, what could it do in yours?

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