Passage: Philippians 2: 1-2, 4 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ…complete my joy by being of the same mind. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.”
Bill and I have had the opportunity to see the kids play sports on several occasions these last few years. We have attended soccer, basketball, and soccer again in a few hours on a Saturday. The youngest grandchild, Ford who is four, played his first “competitive” sport this last spring. While it took some coaxing to get him to go on the field (something like a Braum’s chocolate shake if he would play) once he started he had fun going after the ball and doing whatever he needed to do to get the ball in that goal.
It’s just a lot of fun to watch at this level. They play on a small field and parents and grandparents are up close and personal to encourage and cheer the kids as they kick and run. Some of the kids get into it, some make it to the field but just stand still, and others are happy to stay on the bench. No matter what the kids have done whether playing or sitting, there is one thing that all of them participate in.
As soon as the game is over, all of the fans form two lines facing each other and then lock hands overhead to form a “tunnel” for the kids to run through. As they would run through the tunnel of fans, everyone would begin cheering for the kids and saying “good game, good game”. It didn’t matter if they played or not, they got to run through the tunnel like a champion. Of course for Ford, it meant snack time as well!
The soccer tunnel makes me think of how important it is to encourage others. Instead of dropping our hands when the children who didn’t play ran through, we encouraged them the same as those who played the whole time. The word encouragement (paraklesis in Greek) can mean ‘an urging by someone close beside.’ That’s what the church is to be – coming along side each other and urging each other to keep going. We are looking out for others not just ourselves. Good job, good job!
Christmas with all of its joys and celebration can be a time when people greatly need encouragement. There are times we are running through the tunnel (or mall) being encouraged and other times we are “making the tunnel” being encouragers. Who knows…there may be a snack at the end of the tunnel!
When you think of someone needing encouragement, who comes to mind?
It’s just a lot of fun to watch at this level. They play on a small field and parents and grandparents are up close and personal to encourage and cheer the kids as they kick and run. Some of the kids get into it, some make it to the field but just stand still, and others are happy to stay on the bench. No matter what the kids have done whether playing or sitting, there is one thing that all of them participate in.
As soon as the game is over, all of the fans form two lines facing each other and then lock hands overhead to form a “tunnel” for the kids to run through. As they would run through the tunnel of fans, everyone would begin cheering for the kids and saying “good game, good game”. It didn’t matter if they played or not, they got to run through the tunnel like a champion. Of course for Ford, it meant snack time as well!
The soccer tunnel makes me think of how important it is to encourage others. Instead of dropping our hands when the children who didn’t play ran through, we encouraged them the same as those who played the whole time. The word encouragement (paraklesis in Greek) can mean ‘an urging by someone close beside.’ That’s what the church is to be – coming along side each other and urging each other to keep going. We are looking out for others not just ourselves. Good job, good job!
Christmas with all of its joys and celebration can be a time when people greatly need encouragement. There are times we are running through the tunnel (or mall) being encouraged and other times we are “making the tunnel” being encouragers. Who knows…there may be a snack at the end of the tunnel!
When you think of someone needing encouragement, who comes to mind?
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