When’s the last time you poked someone with a sharp stick?

Well, metaphorically speaking, that is.

There’s a passage in Scripture, Hebrews 10:24, that tells us “consider how we may stir one another up to love and good deeds.”

What does it mean to stir someone up? A closer look at the words used here tells us some interesting things…

### Let us consider…

This “consider” isn’t a trying-to-figure-it-out.

It’s more like observing. Noticing. In other words, it’s fairly obvious how we should be stirring one another up. But we need to be noticing how we can do it. We need to be paying attention, especially to people who need some stirring up!

### How to stir up… The single word used here for “stir up” in the original Greek has to do with provoking, exciting, irritating. Actually it comes from two words put together – “near” and “sharp.”

In other words, to get close to someone with something sharp.

### To love and good works… Love in this passage is the selfless, unconditional agape love.

And the “good works” – these two words could really be translated, “beautiful toil.”

Ok, so we are getting close to people and giving them a sharp little poke to provoke them into a life of selfless love and beautiful toil!

What happens when we take on this challenge, to get involved with someone else at this level, where we are really encouraging them to move forward in the work, love, and service they’re called to?

It gets messy. Stirring things up always makes things messy!

That’s OK.

Sometimes there’s resistance. That’s OK, too.

We’re women on a mission, and our mission is typically about our own Dream, our own calling. But once in a while, let’s get messy and start motivating others in our lives to have their own mission, their own Dream! To pursue a life of impact, rather than a life of simple productivity.

### Perhaps they need…

• Clarity about what their dream really is.
• Permission to pursue it because they’ve gotten the message somewhere that they shouldn’t or that they don’t have anything to offer.
• Help with solving practical issues before they can move forward.
• Help with clarifying their vision, brainstorming their strategies, coming up with tactics, creating a Trusted System or habits & routines, learning how to focus – basically any of the things we teach at Impactivity!

For whatever reason, they are stuck. They are not moving forward.

God wants move through them, like water through a channel, but they’ve let a bunch of little debris pile up and block them from moving forward.

who needs it

? Who do you know, a woman in your life, that has the seed of a Dream, or is clearly not satisfied with where she is, but she’s not moving forward for some reason?

Now consider (take a look at) the obvious ways you can get close and give her a little prodding.

Maybe it’s gently helping her remove small obstacles, or maybe more in-depth help is needed and you can simply encourage her to get the help.

Maybe you can talk through things with her to help her get clarity, or at least get started.

It doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment.

You’re just stirring things up.

If you’d like some help with getting a conversation going, the 6-Step Guide in the “deeper” section below might be a good place to start.