Dear Friends,
I wonder how many great accomplishments
or achievements have never been realized for want of an encouraging word.
Perhaps someone started out with a great dream. They were going to accomplish
something remarkable. They were excited as they began their undertaking, but
then before long they grew discouraged by the challenge before them, and there
was no one to come along and give them a "positive push."
The Jews must have
wondered if they would ever complete the rebuilding of the wall surrounding
Jerusalem. Under the leadership of Nehemiah, the people were united and there
was great enthusiasm for the task before them. But then they hit the
wall, the halfway point, and that's when they started looking downward at all
the rubble that remained. Rather than looking upward at the God who had
inspired them and who would see them through the task, they looked downward and
became overwhelmed by what needed to be accomplished. Up to this
point "the people worked with all their heart" (Nehemiah
4:6b), but now discouragement had set in Their enthusiasm had dissipated and
their endurance was waning. They were guilty of looking at not what they had
accomplished but all the rubble that still remained, and there were lots of it.
It was half time, and they needed a halftime pep talk.
We read," Meanwhile
the people in Judah said, 'The strength of the laborers is giving out, and
there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." It was time for
Nehemiah to rally the troops. With a plan, and I am sure with some encouraging
words, he stiffened their resolve and provided the hope they needed for
success. Despite great opposition from those who continued to
ridicule their efforts, the wall was built in a remarkable 52 days.
Did you ever undertake a
challenging task? You started out with great enthusiasm, but when you
reached the halfway point, you discovered that there was still
another half to complete. It was then that you needed someone like
a Nehemiah to come along side of you to encourage you not to give in or give
up. And because of that encouragement, you renewed your efforts and experienced
a new vigor and enthusiasm.
Words of encouragement
spoken at just the right time may well mean the difference between success and
failure.
The editor of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer many years ago told of two incidents that not only
shaped the lives of two individuals, but also profoundly impacted the lives of
thousands of people.
In a small country church,
an altar boy serving the priest at a Sunday mass, accidentally dropped a cruet
of wine. The village priest struck the altar boy sharply on the cheek and
in a gruff voice shouted, "Leave the altar and don't ever come back."
That boy never did. He went on to become Marshall Tito, the Communist leader
who for so many years ruthlessly ruled the country of Yugoslavia.
Around the same time in a
cathedral in a large city in the United States, an altar boy was serving his
bishop at Sunday mass when he accidentally dropped a cruet of wine. The
response of the bishop was far different from the Yugoslavian priest. With
a warm twinkle in his eyes, the bishop gently whispered: "Someday you will
be a great priest."
The power of those words
proved to be prophetic as the young man grew up to become an
outstanding leader in the Roman Catholic Church. He became a dynamic preacher
who laid the foundation for television evangelism, preaching to hundreds of thousands
through the medium of television. His shows are still being produced today. His
name was Fulton Bishop Sheen, and he went on to become an archbishop, and one
of the most influential television preachers in the history of the Roman
Catholic Church.
By our words, we can
either be the wind beneath someone’s wings or the anchor in their boat. I want
to be that wind that lifts and lightens people’s loads. I want to be the
one who inspires and encourages people to realize their goals and achieve their
dreams.
There are far too many
people today who act like anchors, and who are quick to drag people
down, to dash dreams and dampen spirits.
The world needs fire
lighters who will come beside those with big dreams and inspire and help them
ignite those dreams. “You can do it,” I’m with you,” “You can count on
me.” are some of the words in the vocabulary of the fire lighter.
Every one of us needs
firelighters in our lives. But unfortunately, we are all too often
surrounded by fire fighters who want to dampens spirits and douses dreams and
who are quick to pour water on the flames of our
enthusiasm. “You can never do it,” “You don’t have the
resources,” “You don’t have the ability,” “You lack the experience.” The
words of the firefighter will leave you discouraged and ready to quit.
Today let each of us
be the firelighters who are quick to remind others of "How far they have
come and not how far they have to go." Rick Warren.
Yours in faith and
friendship,
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