David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 Samuel 18:1

Even in the midst of enemies all around him, David encouraged his men. I'm certain David himself was discouraged. After all, he was the King! But he was on the run from his own son. Every step he took must have been painful for David, knowing that he was fleeing from his son.

But he rallied the troops and encouraged them. Great leaders do that. Fortunately, you and I don't have to be great leaders to do that. We can encourage every day. Encouragement, though, takes effort. It's not easy always to see the good in people (especially when you're having a rotten day), but it's there.

The encouragement doesn't need to be earth shattering or dramatic. A smile works. A simple compliment on an article of clothing is fitting. Kind words go a long way. A card, a telephone call, an email, a snail-mail letter. All done without coersion or secondary agendas.

It's a great habit to get into, for I have found that most people need to be encouraged regularly. I've mentioned it before, but Mark Twain is famous for saying, "I can live for two months on a good compliment."

I can understand that.