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their yet unpublished works.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
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