Encouragement can take different forms and show itself in the exchange between different people. One thing characterizes encouragement. It is the force that exists in the exchange between people, where one comes alongside the other and for a period of time shares their journey, to help, support and strengthen the other. Unexpected: Five Inspirational Short Stories of Encouragement is a collection of modern-day parables, stories that help us see things differently, and reflections and poems. Each shows different ways encouragement flows and impacts others. Each of these is written with the aim to spur us on, to encourage us to become people of encouragement ourselves.