Encouragement
He was absolutely pitiful! We should have taken a picture, but I’ll just have to describe him for you.
We were recently visiting our former pastor and his wife from years ago and she brought out the Raggedy Ann and Andy that I’d made for them in 1983 as a baby gift. Ann looked pretty good, well-loved, but her apron and bloomers were missing. Andy looked like somebody had played whack-a-mole with him, and he had Ann’s bloomers and apron on OVER his outfit! As we proceeded to remove the misplaced clothes, it became apparent that this was an attempt to help hold him together. The more we uncovered layers, the more pitiful he became.
Down to his “birthday suit,” we discovered he was split from his face down to his bottom and up the backside into his hairline! He was disemboweled, and the stuffing was just “in there” and held in place by the clothes. He had striped legs with black shoes in the armholes of his outfit and arms where the legs should have been. He resembled an octopus with four legs and Andy’s head! I sewed him back together as best I could by hand, restuffed him, and redressed him. Yeah, he looks like he’s been in a fight, but he’s smiling!
Aren’t we a little like that? Something happens over time and eventually we get discombobulated. It can even happen instantly, that “out of nowhere” thing that knocks us off our feet. Sometimes we feel like nobody sees the trouble we’ve had, nobody sees but Jesus. We need encouragement!
As we sat there with our friends, they related an amazing story of how God had used them in 1978 to head up the Ichthus Festival. They were newlyweds at their seminary in KY, and this annual event was in jeopardy of not continuing. They felt the call to lead it and it took a year of planning to pull it off. This was the Christian answer to Woodstock and had musicians and speakers who shared the love of Jesus with high school and college students. The couple were told it would be hard on their marriage by several people and encouraged NOT to pursue it, but they felt called by God.
When the event time came, everything was going great until Saturday night, the culmination of the time together. It was raining and there were thousands of campers there, but what were they to do? So the young couple walked around the property, praying, wanting God to be glorified even though they were discouraged. Was this year-long effort all for naught? Confusion. Discombobulated.
They didn’t know that a young man attending the festival was sitting on a hillside in the rain, praying, and turning his life over to Jesus at that very time! Like Andy, he was being made whole. They didn’t know anything about that until 2020, forty-two years later, when someone heard that young man, now a much older man, share his testimony. He talked about that night, so vital to his conversion experience. Our friends were told to listen to his testimony on a broadcast and after hearing it, they knew exactly what night he was talking about. After all these years, what they had NEVER known about that night was such an encouragement to them, that what they had been such an instrumental part of and had given much time and energy to, had eternal results. The young man was now the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence.
Pastor felt compelled to write a letter to Mr. Pence and let him know how grateful he was that he had come to know the Lord at that time. It was a humble letter, with no expectation of it ever being read by the intended recipient. Not only was it read, it was included in a speech1! Mr. Pence wrote an equally humble letter in return, a letter of thanks and encouragement, which was shown to us. Not long after that, both couples were face-to-face for a sweet time together. At the conclusion of their time, Karen Pence prayed for this precious couple and they in turn prayed for the Pences. Brothers and sisters in Christ, united in love for their Savior!
SO, who has encouraged you in your life? Whether it was 40 years ago or 40 minutes ago, do them the service of thanking them and encouraging them. Perhaps it was prayer, or time and effort expended, or discipling you, a shared meal, or fixing a flat tire—whatever comes to your mind, that is what needs to be acknowledged. They may not be discouraged now, but those words will still mean so much! They will be blessed by knowing what they couldn’t see “back then” was all part of God’s Big Picture.
Sometimes we may feel like we’re coming apart at the seams, tired, a little out of sorts (or a LOT out of sorts), and a kind word will do so much for us! The fight is worth it! May we all be people who show gratitude and encouragement to those who have given of themselves on our behalf. May we be people who encourage one another, even if they haven’t done anything for us specifically.
“…And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
*You can hear Mr. Pence refer to this letter here
