A little goes a long way.

I was sitting in the living room the other day, when Mason came up to me and asked if he could sit on my lap. I said yes, of course, being that these moments don't happen as often as they used to. He asked me an odd question. He asked, "Mom, what is my nickname?" "What do you mean, what is your nickname? It's Mase or T-Goom", I responded. "No Mom, that isn't what I mean", he replies. "What is your nickname for me? That's what Mimi and Poppa call me. What is your special name for me? You know..like Amber is Elmo, and Kaitlyn is Katy", he says. So...I sat for a moment in thought, realizing I didn't have one for him. "Well, I guess I really don't have one", I said. His faced dropped in sadness. Noticing his disappointment I respond, "But, if you would like, we could think of one right now." His face began to light up. We went back and forth, thinking of a couple of nicknames, including a few silly ones which caused us to giggle. After a little while, we finally decided on...T-Jobe. (Jobe is his middle name) Perfect. T-Jobe it is. He was delighted with his new special name. He said "thank you", smiled, and gave me a small, sweet kiss on the cheek. Then, he was off to play in his room, happy as a lark. That's all it took. A little special one-on-one time. I wondered later how long he must have been thinking about asking for his own nickname. Was this something he worried about for a while before asking me? Was he feeling left out and I never noticed? Was I not making him feel special enough? Or was it...that he just needed ME to make him feel special and outstanding in some way? I'm not sure what the reason was, and I may never know. But, what I do know, is that he got what he needed. That two minute conversation, and a few moments with me, resulting in a new name for himself, made all the difference. He felt special. He felt important. He was content. Sometimes, we forget who we are. Sometimes, we need the encouragement of others around us to remind us of how special we truly are. Sometimes, we get caught up in the "old" us, and need a "new" name for ourself. As children of God, we are required to do that for one another. We are required to lift each other up. Encourage one another. Tell eachother how much our Father in heaven loves us. Remind each other of the new life that we can live as His children. Bring out those special qualities in someone, that they just might have forgotten that they have. Give a new name, where an old one has caused despair. Bring life into someone, where death may loom. We may even find that someone, in need of encouraging, within our own home. Then there are times that we just need to give eachother a little special one-on-one time. It doesn't have to be an entire day. Some of us just need a moment or two, of a little love from someone...anyone. That's it. That's all it takes. *Be an encourager to someone today. Give your time to make someone feel special. Remind them of who they are in Christ Jesus. Help them find a new name for themselves. You will come to realize that...a little goes a long way. Hebrews 10:25, "not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.' Proverbs 10:11, 'The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life." I Thessalonians 4:18, "Therefore comfort one another with these words." Hebrews 3:13, "But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today", lest any one of you be hardened by deceitfulness of sin."