Bronze

encourage one another

~ 1 Thessalonians, Hebrews ~

I'm late. My son is in the bronze medal game and I'm missing it. I'm rushing toward the bleachers to watch the last half of the match when I hear his name. People are shouting, some screaming, "CORY! Get the ball to Cory!"

The small stand of seats is filled with cheering parents and siblings. I move away from the crowd and lean up against the cool chain-link fence bordering the pitch. My son has his stick on the ball and is driving toward the net, four of his opponents pursuing him ~ hard. A rumble rises from the crowd of observers, "Run, Cory! Hit it! Keep going!"

Men I have never seen before are belting out my kids' name at the top of their lungs. They're begging the coach to leave him on the field. They're pleading with him to get that ball between the posts. Cory snags the ball from the other team. He pushes toward the net. The goalie is quick and agile; he stops my son cold, time and again. Three fantastic shots on net, three stellar saves. Then, nimbly weaving through a crowd of challengers, Cory winds up for the hit of the game: the ball is in. It's a goal! My son's team wins the bronze!

Parents and kids alike go nuts with excitement. Dads, one after the other, approach my kid with head rubs and pats on the back, "Nice job, Cory!" "Good shot, kid!" They acknowledge him by name. They're proud of what he did for their team and grateful that their own sons and daughters have experienced victory, too.

We find our way toward each other eventually, he and I. I cup his sweaty, heat-mottled chin in my hand and we talk about how hard he had to work for that goal. I'm proud of him. I tell him so.

As a parent, my insides have gone to mush. Why? Because I'm proud of my kid? Because he won a game? I suppose so. More because his name was on the lips of his fellows ~~ for fifteen minutes one Saturday morning he was the focal point of the shouted encouragement of the crowd.

If I, as a very human mommy, feel awed and joyful when my son is encouraged, I wonder what the Maker of the world experiences when we, as His adopted, cheer each other on?

Does His heartbeat pick up when He hears us spurring each other on in our day-to-day? Do His insides go all wobbly when there's a crowd of us just pulling for the one who's laying it all on the line, hands and feet hard put to the task at hand, pressing toward the goal? Does His chest swell with pride at the thundering sound of His people reminding each other that this faith we are pursuing, while challenging, even difficult, is eternal?

Is there someone in your world that needs encouragement today? Not Internet-feel-good-warm-fuzzy messages, but your heart-felt support. The kind of cheer that only you can raise for that one?

Do you need encouragement today? Drop a line, if you do. There are friends in the bleachers, watching you make your way through the crowd, driving that ball toward the goal. We'll shout your name ~ loud ~ over and over again until that ball hits its' mark. Because you, child of God, are so important to our team.

encourage one another

~ 1 Thess., Hebrews ~