It is a requirement.

"The Christian life requires the strengthening presence and encouraging words of other Christians."

I love this quote.  It is absolutely, undeniably true.  We have all felt the strength that comes from an encouraging, kind word at just the right time.  Sometimes, we do not even know we need the encouragement ... but the Lord does ... and He moves the hearts of His people to reach out to one another at just the right time ~ and provide the comfort we need ~ precisely when we need it.

It is a beautiful thing to be the recipient of such love and support.  It is a comfort to be held in the arms of another when your heart is breaking apart and you wonder if you will ever smile again.  It is a joy to hold a hand-written note filled with words of Scripture that bring a healing balm to your weary soul.  And it is a privilege to have such friends and family in our lives who are willing to do these things when we are in need of such comfort.

The question is - are we willing to be the ones who provide such feelings of love and support to others?  It is easy to take ... easy to be the one being lifted up as the Lord pours light and joy back into our hearts as we hear His people share the truth and hope of Scripture, and feel their love for us.  But it is quite another thing to be the giver of such joy.

To be a strengthening presence to another requires sacrifice.  We must give our time and our energy ... our resources and our strength.  They NEED us.  In order to meet their needs, we must often give up our own.  And, to effectively offer comfort to another, we must know the One who IS comfort, because on our own we have absolutely nothing to give.  We are powerless to change any circumstance.  We can only take the broken one before us, pick her up, and carry her to The Cross ... the only place where she can find true healing.

And truth be told?  Sometimes it is just as hard to receive the love as it is to give it.  We might want to be left alone.  We might want to pretend that nothing is wrong.  We might want to pout and wallow in our own misery.  The "strengthening presence" of other Christians can feel awkward, suffocating, or even maddening.  On the flip side - offering our presence can feel frustrating, burdensome, and discouraging when not received the way we expected it to be received   But honestly?  It really doesn't matter, because Scripture trumps all feelings, insecurities and pride, and gives us a clear picture of what encouragement looks like within the body of Christ.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.  Hebrews 10:24,25

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.  Romans 15:4

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.  Hebrews 3:13

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  
II Corinthians 1:3,4

NONE of these verses have qualifiers.  "Encourage one another as long as the person actually wants to be encouraged."  "Through the Scriptures we might have hope, unless you just want to have a pity party and pull away from everyone who loves you."  "Encourage one another day after day, unless you are tired of listening to your friend share her pain.  If this is true, just quit and serve yourself."  "Comfort those in affliction, unless they want to pretend like everything is 'fine' and you are annoyed because she is not responding the way you want her to."  It sounds ridiculous, but isn't that exactly what we do?  Whether we are on the side of feeling the pain, or trying to comfort the one in pain, we decide if we are in the mood to obey the commands of Scripture.  We decide if the person is 'worthy.'  We decide how long we are willing to encourage, and how much we are willing to hear.  But there is not one verse in God's Word that supports such thoughts.

"The Christian life requires the strengthening presence and encouraging words of other Christians."

Period.

and

End of discussion.