How do people discourage others from doing something productive? Speaking from a father’s perspective, three different ways pop into my mind.
First, sometimes we can discourage another by being productive for them. Instead of delegating responsibilities and encouraging the members of the household to help build up the whole, we take out the trash, mow the lawn, do the dishes, cook dinner, bring in the income, clean the rooms, do the laundry, buy groceries, ect. We can discourage productivity if we enable them to live without it.
Second, sometimes we can discourage another’s productivity through negativity. If you want your child to give up on doing something productive just make an effort to rip down every effort he makes. “You are lousy at that”, “you are too young,” “you are not smart enough,” “you are not strong enough,” “you are not able to do that”, “you can’t do that,” are all statements that hold an ambitious child back from productivity.
Third, we can discourage another’s productivity through stumbling blocks. As a Father I am guilty of it but that doesn’t make it ok. Children often come to us wanting to be productive to only hear “later,” “some other time,” “we can’t do that,” “we can’t, we don’t have enough money,” ect. A child dream of something great can be discouraged by parents who are unwilling to share their dream, minister to them, and help develop plan a way to get there.
I think we can all agree on the above statements at least to some extent. We can discourage the productivity of our children by being productive for them, being negative, or by putting up stumbling blocks. We can take these simple and easily recognized truths out of the home and apply them to God’s home. We can discourage the children of God from being productive in the Lord’s church by being productive for them, through negativity, and through stumbling blocks.
First, the body of Christ is supposed to function like a body with all of its members using their God given talents. The body would be unhealthy and inefficient if the hand was attempting to do the work of the mouth, eyes, ears, feet, heart, ect (1Corinthians 12:14). Not only is the hand over extending itself it is also enabling the rest of the body to be complacent. Don’t discourage productivity through enabling. Provide an atmosphere that encourages productivity and minister to the members to help them realize their talents.
Second, the children of Christ and leaders in the body should not discourage productivity to do the will of God through negativity. Telling a brother or sister that they can’t do something to glorify God and further His kingdom is not only sinful but just plain old mean. Who are we to say that a person can’t do something when it is in accordance with God’s will? Most often when we say that someone “can’t” it is merely because we don’t want. Let’s be honest here, we don’t want them to do it and we don’t want to help them do it. Perhaps the problem is that we are more interested in seeing our own will accomplished rather than God’s. Sadly, sometimes it is not the world that stands in the way Gods will being done but rather our brethren through negativity and lack of faith (1Samual 17:33).
Third, Christians can be discouraged from productivity through stumbling blocks. Instead of sharing a vision for the church stumbling blocks can be placed in the path of those that dream big. “We can’t reach the whole city with the gospel,” “we can’t afford that,” “we can’t do that now”, “we are not big enough, strong enough, wealthy enough, ect.” How many visions and dreams have come from studying God’s word to only be crushed in the elders meeting or men’s business meeting? The leadership of the church should have a “God can through us” attitude rather than a “we can’t” (God can’t) attitude (Matthew 19:26). We can discourage productivity through stumbling blocks (Numbers 13:30-31).
Whether it is our own home or the Lord’s home, we can discourage productivity. We can discourage productivity by being productive for them, being negative, or by putting up stumbling blocks. Let us be those that not only encourage godly behavior but aid and reward it when it is pursued.
