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Get Encouraged

Encouraging & Inspiring

Author: Chris Miller

  • Does Life’s Race Have You Hobbling?

    Does Life’s Race Have You Hobbling?

    Getting to the Olympics is hard, and British runner Derek Redmond had overcome injuries and setbacks to be there. In 1992, Redmond thought his moment had come. He was competing in the 400-meter semifinal at the Barcelona games. Halfway through the race, his hamstring tore. He collapsed to the track, and his Olympic dream appeared to be over.

    As the race continued, Derek struggled to his feet and began hobbling forward.

    Insert yourself here. You’re running life’s race, and suddenly your hamstring is torn. You feel as if you’re hobbling. In these moments, we can find encouragement in the Bible.

    “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

    Notice all the times but appears in this passage.

    • Today may press us on every side, but we won’t be crushed.
    • Challenges may perplex us, but they won’t drive us to despair.
    • Adversity may hunt us down, but we are not abandoned by God.
    • Life may knock us down, but we are not destroyed.

    Today’s circumstances and challenges may be enormous, but they don’t have the final word. God does.

    Remember, Derek. He was hobbling toward the finish line. He wasn’t going to give up without trying to finish.

    While Derek was hobbling forward, his dad was running out of the stands, brushing by security, and jogging to meet him. Derek’s dad put his arm around his son, and with tear-filled eyes, the two finished the race together.

    Derek didn’t win a medal that day, but his story reminds us that a painful setback doesn’t have to be the end of our story.

    While the challenge may look different, you may be facing an enormous one today. You may feel knocked down by unexpected circumstances, but don’t lose hope. What you’re facing today doesn’t have to define your tomorrow. With the Lord’s help, you’ll be able to finish the race.

  • Waiting on Dreams

    Waiting on Dreams

    What happens when a dream stays in your heart but takes years to become a reality?

    Maybe you dream of starting a business, changing careers, or writing a book. Every time you think about it, you feel a spark of excitement. You can picture what it might look like, and you wonder what it would be like to see that dream come true.

    However, years have passed, and you’re still waiting. The excitement that once filled your heart is beginning to fade. You wonder if your dream will ever become a reality. Maybe you’re even tempted to give up.

    If this sounds familiar, the Bible offers some encouragement.

    “Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.
    Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you” (Psalm 37:4-5).

    One of the hardest parts of having a dream is learning to wait on the Lord.

    We want answers now; we want to see progress. When nothing seems to be happening, discouragement can creep in. We may feel like throwing away the very dreams we’ve carried for years, but Scripture reminds us that God’s timing is different from ours. Throughout the Bible, we find people who had to wait for God’s promises to unfold. Their stories remind us that waiting doesn’t mean God has forgotten us.

    Just because your dream hasn’t become a reality doesn’t mean the Lord has abandoned his work in your life. He may be preparing an opportunity, developing your character, or working behind the scenes. An unfinished dream is not necessarily a forgotten dream.

    We may not understand why we have to wait or how everything will work out, but we can choose to trust the Lord.

    • Commit your dreams to him.
    • Keep seeking his direction.
    • Take the steps he puts before you.
    • Trust him with the timing and outcome.

    The Lord sees the desires of your heart, and you can wait with hope since your future is in his hands.

    Thanks for reading.

  • Buy the Sheets

    Buy the Sheets

    “Buy the sheets!”

    Those words caught my attention as they came through the radio speakers. I wasn’t dreaming, and I hadn’t accidentally tuned in to some strange program. I was listening to a follower of Christ sharing a simple but powerful reminder.

    “Don’t wait to buy the sheets!”

    What did she mean? Don’t put off enjoying life today while waiting for tomorrow to arrive.

    It’s easy to fall into that trap. We tell ourselves we’ll enjoy life when we reach a certain goal, get through a difficult season, or finally see our dreams come true. We keep looking ahead, waiting for life to get better, but what if we’re missing something wonderful in the process?

    God has given us today, and we shouldn’t miss its blessings because we’re too busy waiting for tomorrow.

    “This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

    Perhaps you’re waiting on a relationship, new job, or opportunity. Keep looking forward with hope. The Lord knows the plans he has for tomorrow, but as you’re hoping, don’t overlook today’s blessings.

    Friends, enjoy today. There are people to love and blessings to recognize. You don’t have to put life on hold until everything falls into place. The dream may still be ahead of you, but today has much to offer as well.

    So, don’t wait for the perfect relationship to come before buying new sheets. Don’t wait for everything to fall into place before living a full life. Enjoy today.

  • Take the Next Step

    Take the Next Step

    What do you do when God asks you to take a step, but you can’t see how it will work out?

    It’s easy to trust God when we can see a solution, but what happens when the bills are piling up, your resources are running low, and you have no idea how you’re going to make it?

    That’s where we find a widow in 2 Kings 4. She is in a desperate situation. Her husband has died, her debts are mounting, and her creditors are coming to take her two sons as servants. She has nowhere to turn, so she goes to Elisha for help.

    Elisha’s instructions may have surprised her. He doesn’t hand her money or tell her to organize a fundraiser. Instead, he tells her to ask her neighbors for as many empty jars as she can find, go inside her home, and begin pouring oil from the little jar she already has.

    Imagine what must have been going through her mind. How could one small jar of oil possibly solve such a big problem?

    But the widow obeys. She gathers the jars, goes inside, and begins to pour.  The oil keeps flowing until every jar is full. She sells the oil, pays her debts, and has enough left to support herself and her sons.

    The miracle began with a step of faith.

    The widow couldn’t see how God would provide before she started pouring. She didn’t know how much oil she would have or how the story would end. She simply trusted the instruction she had received, and took the next step.

    Faith often works this way. God doesn’t always show us the entire plan. Sometimes, he gives us enough direction to trust him today.

    The widow had to pour the oil before she could see the miracle. Sometimes, we have to take that next step of faith before we see how God will work things out.

    “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1).

    As you step into a new day, what step of faith is God asking you to take? You may not have all the answers, but you can trust the one who does.

  • The Lord isn’t Leaving

    The Lord isn’t Leaving

    People may walk away when life gets messy, but what about God?

    When problems pile up, relationships fall apart, and you struggle to hold everything together, you may wonder if the Lord will eventually decide you’ve become too much trouble.

    Psalm 139 gives us a reassuring answer. There is nowhere we can go, no mess we can face, and no burden we can carry that will put us beyond the reach of God’s presence.

    “I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!
    If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave, you are there” (Psalm 139:7-8).

    No matter how messy life becomes, the Lord is going to always be there. There is not a day or burden heavy enough to cause him to walk away.

    “If I ride the wings of the morning,
    If I dwell by the farthest oceans,
    even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me” (Psalm 139:9-10).

    Friends, life is never going to be so messy that God decides to stop helping and walk away from us. A spouse may leave, friendship end, or job disappear, but the Lord will still be right beside us.

    Today may be messy. You may face challenges you never expected. You may even feel alone, but remember this: people may walk away, circumstances may change, and life may fall apart.  Even if they do, God is not going anywhere.

    Thanks for reading.

  • Podcast Episode: Everyday Faith In Action

    Podcast Episode: Everyday Faith In Action

    Pip: Get Encouraged lives up to its name this week — Chris Miller has been quietly asking the kind of questions that sound simple until you actually sit with them.

    Mara: The posts cover three territories: trusting God with what you already have, the underestimated power of showing up and encouraging others, and what it actually looks like to find contentment.

    Pip: Let's start with what's already in your hands.

    God Uses What You Have

    Mara: The setup in 2 Kings 4 is stark — a widow with creditors at the door and almost nothing left. Elisha's question cuts right to it: "What do you have?"

    Pip: And her answer, as the post "What Do You Have in Your Hands" records it, is the whole point. She says, "Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil."

    Mara: That flask becomes the starting point for everything. She borrows empty jars, starts pouring, and the oil keeps flowing until the jars run out. She pays her debts and has enough left to live on.

    Pip: So the upshot is: the limitation wasn't the obstacle. The limitation was the opening.

    Mara: The post frames it plainly — we may look at our resources and see limitations, but God sees possibilities. Time, influence, ability — the question isn't whether you have enough, it's whether you'll offer what you do have.

    Pip: "Bring Your Empty" takes that a step further. The widow couldn't manufacture oil, but she could bring empty jars — and that's the move faith actually requires.

    Mara: And "I Believe, But Help My Unbelief" sits right alongside that — the father in Mark 9 is stretched to the end of his faith, crying out honestly, and Jesus meets him there anyway.

    Pip: Start with what you have. That's the thread running through all of it.

    Mara: Which raises a question about how we actually reach people once we've decided to show up.

    Quiet Influence And Encouragement

    Mara: Sometimes the most powerful thing you can offer isn't a solution — it's your presence. "Showing Up" opens with a line most of us know from the inside: "I don't know what to say."

    Pip: And the answer the post lands on is Romans 12:15 — "Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep."

    Mara: No perfect words required. A hospital visit, a phone call, a handwritten note — these communicate the one thing people most need to hear: you are not alone.

    Pip: "You're an Influencer" makes the same argument about scale. Your circle doesn't need to be large to matter. Jesus puts it in Matthew 5:14 — "You are the light of the world — like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden."

    Mara: Light doesn't perform. It just shines. Consistent modeling of love and compassion works the same way.

    Pip: And "Be Like Barnabas" names the person who did this best in the early church — someone who believed in Paul when others were skeptical, and gave John Mark another chance after failure.

    Mara: His name literally means son of encouragement. The post's point is simple: the world has critics. What it needs are more Barnabases.

    Pip: Presence, influence, encouragement — all of it assumes you're actually at peace enough to give it away.

    Contentment And Trust

    Pip: Finding contentment sounds passive, but "Finding Contentment" opens with a 114-year-old woman who called it a daily choice.

    Mara: Eunice Sandborn said she had a happy life and no complaints — and acknowledged there were seasons where she had to actively choose that. The post anchors on Hebrews 13:6: "Be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.'"

    Pip: That's not a promise tied to circumstances. It holds in the lean seasons and the full ones alike.

    Mara: Exactly — and that's the ground everything else in this episode stands on.

    Pip: Offer what you have, show up for the people around you, and trust the one who doesn't abandon you in the lean seasons.

    Mara: Simple questions with a lot of weight. More next time.

  • Does God See Me?

    Does God See Me?

    Does God see me?

    This is a question many people ask, and you may be asking it today. Life is chaotic, so you’re really wondering if God sees you. It is a fair question, and the Bible gives us an answer.

    The Bible says God sees us. Psalm 139:1-4 says:

    “O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
    You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
    You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
    You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.”

    When Scripture tells us that God sees us, it isn’t simply saying that He knows we exist. It is more than just seeing us. It means the Lord knows what we’re facing. He knows the details. He knows the things we haven’t told anyone else. He knows the fear behind the smile. He knows the tears behind the words, “I’m doing fine.”

    Psalm 139:2 reminds us that God understands our thoughts, even when we struggle to express them. Verse 4 tells us that before a word reaches our lips, he already knows it. The Lord knows us, and he sees us.

    Friends, you don’t have to pretend with God. You don’t have to hide your pain or find the perfect words to explain what you’re going through. The God who sees you already knows, and he invites you to come just as you are.

    You can bring the Lord your fears, pains, and struggles. He invites you, and he welcomes you.

    Remember, the Lord sees you, and he views you as someone who is priceless.

  • Bring Your Empty

    Bring Your Empty

    What if your emptiness is an opportunity for God to work?

    When life leaves us feeling drained, we often focus on what we don’t have. We don’t have enough strength to keep going, enough answers to know what to do, or enough resources to meet the challenges in front of us. We look at what is missing and wonder how things could possibly change.

    In 2 Kings 4, a struggling widow faced a problem bigger than anything she could solve on her own. When Elisha asked what she had in her house, her answer was simple: a little oil. It didn’t seem like much, but God was about to use it in a remarkable way.

    Before the miracle could happen, however, Elisha gave her an unusual instruction. He told her to collect empty jars.

    Why empty jars?

    An empty jar has room to receive something.

    Maybe that’s where some of us are today. We feel empty. Our strength is depleted. Our hope is gone. Our emotional reserves feel drained. We don’t have answers. We’re empty.

    Being empty doesn’t have to be the end of the story. It can be an opportunity for God to fill what we can’t fill ourselves.

    You see, the widow couldn’t manufacture oil, but she could bring empty jars. The widow brings what she had, and she let’s God do the rest.

    Sometimes, that’s all faith requires from us. It asks us to bring the Lord what we have. Bring him our emptiness, our uncertainty, our weaknesses, and trust him with what we bring. Notice how it works out for the widow.

    God provides more oil than the widow expected. At the end of the story, she goes back to Elisha and tells him what happened. He tells her, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

    The Lord didn’t merely give her enough to survive that moment. He provided enough to pay the debt, and enough for her family to live on. The problem she brought to God was bigger than her resources, but it wasn’t bigger than God’s provision.

    This widow teaches us that we can trust the God who sees us, works with what we have, and provides what we need according to His purposes.

    So, bring the Lord your empty today, and see what he does with it.

    Thanks for reading.

  • You’re An Influencer

    You’re An Influencer

    Your greatest opportunity to impact the world may be closer than you think.

    When we think of influence, we often think of a large Instagram following or millions of views on a YouTube video, yet our most impactful influence can actually be small in number. It can be at home, work, church, or among friends. The Lord maximizes our impact within our circle.

    As a parent, you shape the lives of your kids. As a coworker, you may encourage a struggling colleague. You may model faithfulness during challenging circumstances. These actions may never make headlines, but they matter tremendously.

    In Matthew 5, Jesus compares us to light. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).  

    Light doesn’t have to do anything to draw attention to itself. It only has to shine, and in doing so, illuminates what is around it. It is very difficult to ignore light. It naturally has an impactful influence.

     In the same way, it can be very difficult to ignore consistent modeling of Jesus’ love and compassion. It organically creates an impactful influence for us.

    Friends, God has placed people in our lives for a reason. Model his love. Show his grace and compassion today. Our words, actions, attitudes, and example can be a light pointing others, right around us, toward Christ.

    Never underestimate the impact of consistent faithfulness. You may be influencing more people than you realize.

    Thanks for reading.

  • What Do You Have in Your Hands: A Lesson from a Flask of Oil

    What Do You Have in Your Hands: A Lesson from a Flask of Oil

    What do you have in your hands? What if the thing you keep overlooking is exactly what God wants to use?

    Imagine being a widow with creditors knocking at your door and no way to pay your debts. You have almost nothing left. Then someone asks you what you have, and your answer is a little jar of oil.

    What difference could that possibly make?

    One little jar of oil wasn’t going to come close to paying her debts. At least, that’s how it must have looked to her.

    We read her story in 2 Kings 4. This widow is facing a desperate situation, and the prophet Elisha asks her a simple question:

    “What do you have?”

    “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replies (2 Kings 4:2).

    And there it is. What she considers almost nothing becomes the starting point for God’s provision.

    Elisha tells her to borrow empty jars from her neighbors, go inside with her sons, and begin pouring oil into the containers. As she pours, the oil keeps flowing. Jar after jar is filled until there are no more containers. She sells the oil, pays her debts, and has enough left to support herself and her sons. God took what she already had and used it to meet a need she could not meet on her own.

    Throughout the Bible, we see God using seemingly insignificant things to accomplish extraordinary purposes. He used Moses’ staff, a few stones in David’s hand, and a boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish to feed thousands. The lesson isn’t that the things we possess are magical or that God will always multiply our resources in the way we expect. It’s that what seems small or inadequate to us is never beyond God’s ability to use.

    We may look at our resources and see limitations, but God sees possibilities.

    • Maybe you don’t have the time you wish you had.
      BUT what if God could use the time you do have?
    • Maybe you don’t have the influence you wish you had.
      BUT what if God could use the influence you do have?
    • Maybe you don’t have the resources you wish you had.
      BUT what if God could use the resources you do have?
    • Maybe you don’t feel particularly gifted.
      BUT what if God could use the gifts you do have?

    We often find ourselves saying, “If only I had more time, more money, more influence, or more ability, I could make a difference.” Perhaps we’re asking the wrong question. What if we started asking, “Lord, what can You do with what I already have?”

    You may not have much in your hands today. Your time may be limited. Your resources may seem small. Your abilities may not feel impressive, but don’t be too quick to dismiss what you have.

    For the widow, that little jar of oil looked insignificant until God used it to change her family’s circumstances.

    You don’t have to wait until you have more to begin making a difference. Start with what you have, offer it to God, and trust him with what happens next.

    What do you have in your hands today that God could use?