Leadership Thought: Heading for a Breakfast of Encouragement. Will You Join Me?

Dear Friends,

For many years, I have met with a close friend for breakfast. Every Wednesday morning at 7:00, we check in with one another and learn how each of us is doing.  The meeting has now grown to three, and sometimes even four, but the goal has always remained the same-encourage and lift each other up and strive to make each other better.

It is a wonderful thing when people recognize and commit to a plan of mutual encouragement, with the goal of building each other up.

I have often seen the benefits of this kind of mutual encouragement on the athletic fields, and especially in the weight room. Lifters work in pairs, aiding and supporting one another as each lifts the bar and struggles to achieve a certain weight or a number of repetitions. As one lifts, the other is shouting out words of encouragement- "Yes you can do it," "just one more," "great job". Each individual wants the best for the other, and encouragement is one way to foster the end.

Mutual encouragement can forge unbreakable friendships that produce remarkable blessings and benefits to those involved. 

C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia series and J.R.Tolkien who wrote The Hobbit series were both professors at Oxford University. They maintained a close friendship throughout their careers. Every Thursday, they joined with other writers who would meet together to have a drink, talk about their fiction writing endeavors, and read passages of their yet unpublished works. 

It was Tolkien who challenged and encouraged Lewis, an avowed atheist, to explore Christianity, leading to his ultimate conversion. And it was Lewis who encouraged Tolkien to continue writing fiction and to seek publication. Was it not for their friendship and mutual encouragement, the world might not have known some of the finest writing and apologetics in the 20th century or enjoyed the finest fantasy work ever written Both encouraged each other, and in doing so, the world was blessed?

The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are "to encourage one another and build others up, just as you are doing (1 Thess 5:11).  Paul knew that everyone needs encouragement. It is oxygen to the soul. It keeps us alive and growing, and we can't live very long without it. As one person said, it is biodegradable- it has a short shelf life- so we need frequent doses of it.

If you don't have a close mutual friendship with another brother or sister, let me encourage you to work on building one. I promise you that you both will be blessed, and who knows the impact you might have on the world around you.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom