Twice
a week is our current number of visits to the university Fitness Center. The workout actually begins before we even
show our membership cards because upon entering, one has to go down about two
open flights of stairs and then climb right back up again to the area where we
exercise. As I made my way up one day, a
man going down on the other side said to me, “One hundred percent
determination,” and repeated it. At that
moment, I felt he was acknowledging my neurological challenges (weakness and
spasticity below the waist) and encouraging my efforts to “keep at it.”
Sometimes
we forget how much good just a few kind words, spoken or written, or some kind
gesture can do. A beginning to offering
encouragement is to notice others and care about them. Then one needs to act on this in some
way. The man who spoke to me apparently
had noticed me walking around with a cane and wanted to commend me for
exercising regularly. Several others at
our “casual exercise club” (Fitness Center folk) have offered praise and
encouragement to me, also.
Ian
Maclaren, a minister and writer in Great Britain in the late l870s, is often
quoted for this insight: Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting
some hard battle.” Some
difficulties are not as obvious as others, like chronic pain, addiction, significant
debt, bankruptcy, grief, illness, and abuse at home. But whatever the difficulty, God wants us to
respond in helpful, encouraging ways.
The love chapter in the Bible (1 Corinthians 13)s begins by stating,
“Love is patient; love is kind.”
The
Greek word paraklesis means
encouragement, consolation, comfort, exhortation and entreaty, and frequently appears
in the scriptures. Barnabas, one of the
apostles, was called the son of encouragement (Acts 4:36) as he sold a field
and freely gave the money to the apostles’ needs. Such an affirming action was part of how he
earned this title. When other apostles
responded with fear and suspicion of Paul, doubting he was a disciple, Barnabas
showed kindness and encouragement. He introduced
him to the group, validating Paul’s experience after his miraculous conversion
and preaching with power (Acts 9:27).
In
1999, Martin G. Collins shared this concern: “As society puts more distractions
before us, encouraging others is becoming a lost art” (The Forerunner publication).
Especially among younger people, it seems that “being busy” is common in
America today, even seen by some as an indication of one’s importance. Yet, Paul encourages us “to make it your
ambition to lead a quiet life” (1 Thes. 4:11).
In other words, keep it simple, focusing on what is important in our
lives of faith.
Let’s
consider becoming like brothers and sisters to Barnabas, freely offering
genuine kindness and encouragement to one another.
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