August 18, 2023

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 1 Thessalonians 5:11-14

These are just tips so I'm not going to go into detail on each one too much, but they are things that as leaders we should work on if we want to motivate others.

1.  Stop Always having to be Right

Yep! It's easy to say or to think that as the leader you are always right, but sometimes you have to give a little. Let someone else be right once in a while. Never compromise on the Bible or doctrine, but in the every day of life, you have the opportunity to be the bigger person. Take that route. If you feel you aren't motivating those women around you, check this first. Having to always be right is a motivation squasher for sure!

2.  Soften Your Attitude

Hard hearts will squash spirits! Be a leader with understanding. Allow others to touch your heart. Sympathize, empathize, and be wise. Think about what you can do to help those that you lead. Think about how you can be the uplifter of souls. To do that you need to allow the Lord to work in your own heart. Allow your love to show. A softened attitude will allow soft words to flow from your lips.

3.  Talk Less  Listen More

Words are valuable. Each one we say adds up to something, whether good or bad. We have to learn not to talk just to express our egos. We do damage that way. It definitely doesn't motivate anyone in any way. And how can we listen if we keep on talking? Listening is a skill, but listening is also good manners. Beyond that it shows those around us that we have a caring attitude which can be a real motivator.

4. See the Whole Picture

You know people have lives outside the time in which you as a leader spend with them. Right? I know some women's leaders don't understand that. They think that every woman they lead only follows them. It's a skewed way of thinking, but sometimes it happens. But you have to see the whole picture of a person's life. Get to know what they are involved in whether inside or outside of the church. Get to know their family dynamic. Get to know what their job and career is all about. Get to know all what they are involved in and all and who are important to them.

See the whole picture and not just see what little percentage of time these women come into contact with you as a leader. Yep! Makes us feel small, but as leaders we are sometimes just one little speck in someone's existence, so we can't expect our church ladies to do the homework we want, dedicate to the projects we want, come to the events that we want, and be involved however else we wish they'd be involved in our church women's group. Expecting full participation without seeing the whole picture is surely not a motivator.

5.  Decide to be a Great Motivator

Once you decide to be a motivator and be good at it, don't let anything stop you. The world is your oyster for motivation. Our world needs it. Those women within your women's ministry group needs it. Some of our women aren't finding motivation anywhere else. Some of our women live with heartache, pain, and grief. Let's show them a little motivation. We can motivate women to do tasks and things of course, but as Christian leaders of women, we can concentrate on those important things like motivating them to increase their faith, to know Jesus more, to forge friendships with other women, and more.

When we decide to be great at motivating others, we can have a huge impact in people's lives. And we have that handy tool Jesus gave us right at our fingertips. Yes! Love. When we motivate with love like Jesus, just look at the possibilities!

Copyright ©2023 Julia Bettencourt.

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