Encouragement (noun) — the act of giving hope, confidence, or support.

I didn’t even notice her at first. The rainy afternoon had created a pleasant break from the usually hot Florida summer, so I’d coaxed my husband to go to one of our local lakes just to get outside for a while. As we sat on a bench near the lake and talked, I realized she had passed us at least twice now. She was walking — making a loop around the sidewalk — but she didn’t look like she was enjoying it very much! Her shoulders were hunched forward, her arms hung lifelessly at her side, her steps were plodding, her expression was blank. Yet she walked.
A year or so ago, I took a brief foray into the world of running, participating in a few local 5Ks (mostly walking). If there was one thing I learned from my exposure to the running community in my city, it is that runners encourage one another. So as she approached for her next trip past our spot, I caught her eye, clapped, and shouted, “There you go! You’re doing it! You’re putting one foot in front of the other and you’re doing it! Way to go! <fist-pump> Woot-woot!” She gave me a shy grin as she passed.
My husband dropped his jaw, wondering what had possessed his normally reticent wife. He stared at me with a confused smile. “What?” I said. “That’s what runners do for each other!”
But what was really amazing was what happened next. I watched her as she continued her walk. Only now, her shoulders were straighter, and there was a slight swing to her arms. As she progressed around her loop, her posture and countenance changed. With a definite bounce to her step, her arms swung freely, and she had a bright smile on her face. I didn’t say anything else when she passed us several more times. I didn’t need to. I was surprised and humbled to see how my simple words of encouragement were enough to transform her whole attitude.
The Bible tells us to encourage each other in our faith. Some versions use the word “spur,” as a rider would use to urge a horse to run. Why? Why the admonition? Because we sometimes think we’re the only one walking this path, running this race, staying this course. The enemy of our souls wants to get us discouraged, to get the “poor me’s,” to feel isolated. Illness, death, financial struggles, family conflict, global crises — they can make us feel like we’re alone in this battle, ashamed to share our fears, that we’re less than or not enough.
We sometimes think we’re the only one walking this path, running this race, staying this course.
Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, puts it this way:
So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out. Hebrews 10:23-24 (MSG)* (emphasis mine)
We may or may not know what struggles others are facing. But as their lives intersect with ours, as they make the loop past us, let’s not forget to see them. Let’s reach out, clap and shout, “Woot woot! Look at you! You’re fighting cancer, you’re a caregiver, you’re laid off, you’re a single mom, you’re doing the hard things — and you keep putting one foot in front of the other and you’re doing it!”
Your words could be just the hope they need right now. Don’t be afraid to share them.
*The Message Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Copyright (C) 2020 – Mary E. Egidio – permission is granted to share but with proper citation and not for financial remuneration.