Encouragement - Hebrews 3:13

Hebrews 3:13   But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (NIV).

   The 2016 summer Olympics are under way, and I watched several of the competitions today.  Back in 1996, I was living in northern Virginia, and the Olympics were in the United States that year.  The torch was run across the country to Atlanta, Georgia.  One day the local newspaper reported the people carrying the torch would come through our area the coming Saturday, and the paper included a map with the complete torch route and schedule.  I was excited to learn the torch would be brought right along the street where my apartment complex was.  At the time I rented an “efficiency” basement apartment which measured 22 feet by 13 feet, seriously.  It was efficient alright.
   Come that Saturday, about fifteen minutes before the projected time, I went outside to the street.  To my astonishment, up and down the street as far as I could see in both directions was a crowd of people.  I was amazed so many people lived in the block.  Day to day I would walk much, as I have for much of my life, and I would only see the average number of people here and there.  Yet it was as though all of Arlington had left their abodes to line the street.
   People around me were excited and friendly, and I talked with some nice folks next to me.  A few minutes later, I heard people cheering to the west, and it was obvious the torch was coming down Lee Highway.  Then the runner came within my sight.  He ran with upright posture holding the torch firmly before him, and he was smiling.  People cheered as he ran by!  I cheered!  It was cool.  Then it was over, and the crowd began to disperse.
   When athletes succeed in competition, people cheer.  Cheering for someone is one kind of encouragement.  Yet obviously there are more personal ways to encourage someone, and there are countless ways to encourage someone.  As I have gotten older, I realize the necessity of encouragement to live the Christian life.  As a follower of Jesus for 26 years, discouragement has been plenty and encouragement from people more sparse.  And spending time with God, reading the Bible, doing ministry work, and doing the will of God are activities which I sure do not get a ton of encouragement for from people.  Yet I can tell you the encouragement I have received from an array of brothers and sisters in Christ over all the years has been a treasure for me.  I needed it.  And I have worked to encourage others.
   I write all of this in the wake of a week where I received some rescuing encouragement.  Mounting stress as a result of being unemployed for a marathon time had reached a point last week where I could have had a meltdown.  Instead I received some totally unexpected encouragement which kept me from feeling despair.  From several different people last week, in a variety of manners, I was encouraged.  I am grateful to all those people, all of whom do not even know each other, for blessing me.  But what about those times when you are not getting encouragement from people.  First and foremost, we need to listen to God our Father to be encouraged.  He is always there.
   There is spiritual opposition for the person who does the will of Jesus.  Personally, I think especially since I have always been single and celibate, never having a loving wife, it sometimes feels like no one is cheering for me in lonely times.  Sometimes it is hard for me to recognize that in simply following Jesus, I have angels cheering for me in numbers greater than that Olympic torch bearer.  May you know that if you are following Jesus, you have the Creator and Sustainer of the universe not only cheering for you, yet also willing to give enabling help, and the reason is because He loves you. We followers of Jesus need to open ourselves to the encouragement of God. And we all need encouragement from brothers and sisters in Christ.  So may we rely on Christ to become enthusiastic about encouraging one another.  May each of us even encourage someone this week.
Hunter Irvine