For years now I have had the habit of writing cards to people to encourage them. I really don’t know when I started doing this or even what prompted me to do this. It’s nothing to complicated, a card with an envelope, hand written thoughts from me that are specific to the person I am writing to, their address on the envelope with a stamp and into the mailbox it goes.

I always keep a stock of cards available so that I am ready at any time to send one out. The past few years I have even made the cards (well my daughter made them for me). My daughter enjoys photography and so I choose a number of her pictures that we get developed, tape them on the front of a folded piece of cardstock, and presto, a card that was developed by me.

I have written cards to the guys that I am discipling letting them know the impact that they are having on my life. I have written cards at times to their wives letting them know about the pleasure I have had in connecting with their husbands and the encouragement that they have been to me. Often times I am able to let their wives know how highly their husbands speak of them in our triad.

I have also written cards to people whose names come to mind during my day that I have been prompted to pray for. I sometimes choose to send them a card just to let them know about this.

And although this act of writing a card takes me only a few minutes, I have been amazed at the impact it has had on those that receive one. I have at times received a thank you card for my card.

I have pondered this over the years – why is a hand written card such a great thing to receive? Are we that starved for encouragement or confirmation? Do people perceive the act of writing a card to have been such a great thng for me to have done that they can’t believe that they were worthy of it? (Remember, it only takes a few minutes)

A few months ago when I spoke during our weekend services, I encouraged people to think of someone who had influenced them in their journey of faith and to write them a card – not to email or speak to them, but to write them a card of thanks and then mail it.

The feedback I received was amazing. People who received cards called them in tears, thanking them for the encouragement. People tracked down individuals who had impacted them 20-30 ago and told of the impact it had on them. One person told me that they had received three cards themselves and were surprised at the impact they had had on these people.

So what is it about a hand written card of encouragement? What power does it possess? And if it is so powerful, and if it only takes a few minutes to actually write one out, why don’t we use this amazing resource more often?

I don’t know what it is that makes them work. I could speculate as I’m sure you could as well. And perhaps we’d come up with some amazing research on the reasons why.

In reality however, I’d rather spend my time not trying to understand why but actually getting out another card and sending it to someone.

As disciplemakers, one of our roles it to encourage those we are coming alongside, to put wind in their sails, to let them know that they are growing and that God is doing some amazing things in their lives, to keep on engaging in their journey of faith.

And one of the powerful tools that we have available to us is the simple card. May I encourage you to right now, get out a card, write a note of encouragement to someone, and allow your words in ink to lift someone up – you’ll be amazed.

For the kingdom.

Back in 2006, I spent a week in Ottawa getting trained and becoming certified to conduct Myers-Briggs personality assessments. I was intrigued by how different personalities interacted within team contexts. Since then, I have conducted many assessments for individuals, engaged and married couples, through a high school leadership program, as well as for a number of local companies. It has been fun to watch “the lights come on” as people gain an understanding of why someone else they connect with responds the way they do and why they personally interact the way that they do.

When it comes to discipling others, I have also come to appreciate the many different personality types over the years as well as the unique interests and passions various people have. This greatly impacts the discipling relationships they have and develop.

In lights of this, I am fully aware that my personality and my way of going about my discipling relationships can only work with certain individuals. There are some (if not many) people that I believe I would not be able to come alongside and guide, we are just too different in our styles and interests. And I’m okay with that. My influence can only stretch so far.

Think of it as overlapping circles.

So long as the circle that represent who I am has enough of an overlap with the guy I am discipling, then we’ll be good. And then, when he goes off to take on the mantel of discipling someone, he simply needs to find a guy whose circle will overlap enough with who he is. The neat thing about this is that I can reach guys who can reach other guys that I would never be able to connect with in a meaningful way. It has been fun to observe this.

Now as I have come to understand this more over the years, I have learned two things.

First, I can relax about not being able to connect with everyone. I don’t have to be all things to all people, simply do what I can do with the guys that I can more naturally connect with. I don’t need to change who I am so that others may be helped, I can trust that someone else will be able to do this.

Second, in light of this, I realize that it is more important than ever that more people are engaged in the work of life-on-life discipleship. We need more personalities with more varied interests to be able to have the circles of influence stretch to new areas of every community of people.

I have heard individuals say to me on many occasions that they couldn’t come alongside and disciple others, they aren’t like me. To which I respond, “That’s the whole point.” You aren’t like me. Our circles may not overlap that much, but there are those out there whose circle does overlap with yours and they need you, because I can’t reach them.

That’s the amazing thing about each of us – we all have something to offer someone. People are there waiting for someone to come alongside them. Let’s not stand back and hope that others will take the initiative or not get involved because we think we don’t have what it takes. The reality is you do have what it takes. Someone needs and wants you in their life. God has gifted you in a distinctive way to help someone. May I encourage you to step in and play the part you were called to play with the people that you can uniquely reach.

For the kingdom.