When the Olympics are On…

Puttering slowly through the back end of my run on Thursday last week, I passed an older gentleman who works yards in our neighborhood. He stopped weed-eating, looked at me as I passed him, and he told me, “I’ll be looking for you when the Olympics are on.” I said, “Thanks brother! Don’t work too hard!”

The Encouragement Smile

You know, we have seen each other many times as I run and he works. We’ve never said much at all, just a head nod or a wave. I smiled because I’m not anywhere near an Olympic athlete and because a compliment like that made me feel great. So, I smiled my way back home running that last mile, thinking about how encouraging those few words were to me.

How many of us have the opportunities to be encouraging, but we miss them? If I were working, I’m not sure I would have stopped to be encouraging. I like getting things done, and I don’t do interruptions well. I know I sometimes miss those times to be encouraging to others.

Encouragement is Generosity

My nameless friend, though, reminded me that encouragement is a wonderful gift. Truth is, encouragement, those words or actions that show people support, inspiration, or confidence, is a gift. That’s right. The greater part of encouragement is generosity.

Encouragement really means to be generous with our words, deeds, or person. It means being willing to give something of ourselves to help, improve, or strengthen someone else’s life.

We all know what it means to be discouraged. The world does that to us; it takes the wind out of our sails on a daily basis. Our jobs may be discouraging, our financial situation may be discouraging, our families or communities may be discouraging, or our national life may be discouraging. These and many other things can be simply disheartening.

So, something simple like, “I’ll be looking for you when the Olympics are on,” becomes a way of giving someone some heart, giving someone encouragement. It took about ten seconds of time to make that difference in my day.

What He Had, He Gave

There’s a guy in Acts named Barnabas. He never says anything we hear reported in the Bible, and we know he travels with Paul. But, we learn something really important about him when he’s introduced to us – his name means “son of encouragement.” He gave the monies he earned from the sale of a field to the apostles and early church (Acts 4.36-7). What he had, he gave.

That sacrificial piece of generosity meant so much to the early church, and his travels with Paul, the giving of himself to spread the gospel, made the difference for so many early Christians. He was his name because he gave of himself generously.

While we may not be named “sons or daughters of encouragement,” we can give of our words and deeds in a way that encourages the folks around us. What small piece of yourself can you give to encourage someone else today? It just may be the best thing you do all day because it makes all the difference in encouraging someone’s life.

You know, I’m no Olympic athlete, but I sure felt like one for a few minutes. That’s the gift of encouragement.

Godspeed as you take the fire with you.

Explore the text for this post: Acts 4.32-37.

Photo Credit: “Midshipmen Offer Each Other Encouragement” by U. S. Navy and “Words Carry Power” by Frances Lim (Creative Commons).