enCOURAGEher

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV

Many moons ago I worked in Parks and Recreation. One thing that occupied quite a bit of time for us was training coaches. All of them were volunteers. Many of them knew very little about the actual sport they were coaching, they were just willing. I used to share this example at some of those trainings.

Suppose you buy tickets to attend a Major League Baseball game. You are at the game having fun when the PA announcer breaks in: “Ladies and gentlemen we are having a contest – we need a batter.” If faced with the opportunity to stand in the batters box against a major league pitcher, some of us would do so.

Can you imagine the nerves? We would pick a bat thinking we had an actual chance to hit with it. We would walk to the plate nervous, even fearful, but excited. We would dig in and think we were ready. Our palms would be sweating. Our knees would be a little weak. Most of us would have zero chance of success but we would try anyway. We would proceed to hear three pitches hit the catcher’s mitt with that unmistakable sound that only a pitch thrown at 100 miles per hour makes. During the long walk back to the dugout we would hear our family cheering us on, even after complete failure. But we would remember it forever and frankly would probably tell the story for the rest of our lives.

Picture your son or daughter walking up to the plate at a game played locally. Palms would be sweaty. Heart would be pounding. Knees would still be weak facing a pitcher throwing a ball harder than they can imagine. What are hearing from us? In youth sports there are parents who support their child no matter the outcome. I understand playing to win. I understand the value of learning to compete. But there are some who really only show unconditional support after the base hit, but not the strikeout. We should be more intentional about celebrating the shear exhilaration of the challenge of standing in the box in spite of being afraid of failure.

The same thing exists with our participation in life. Soldiers sign up to face battles that can kill them. That is obvious bravery. But what about the single parent who is barely making ends meet? Are they any less fearful than we were facing a baseball? I would say more so. What about the divorced parent afraid of losing relationship with kids? What about the person imprisoned by past decisions and consequences? Fear can cripple the move toward people who love them who can help them make a break from the past. What about the actual prisoner who cannot run to the side of the person they love?

I have seen it my own life. We have gone thorough literally hundreds of days, maybe thousands, where simply getting out of bed was a pretty big deal. I’ve mentioned it before, but we had a seven year stretch of sleep deprivation in our house. I have many memories of looking at my wife wondering how she was still standing. Grief over the loss of a loved one is a heavy burden, but so if grief over the way life has played out in general, even if we are the reason it played out this way.

Who do you want to encourage? You may not be able to reach them, but you can cheer them on from right where you are.

What scares the crap out of you? Make a list if you need to.

All of us imagine the worst-case scenario for every item on that list. Sometimes that is how it goes. However, very few things actually deliver the worst possible result. Bad doesn’t always stay bad forever.

Challenge: Look around your life. You may be in the literal or figurative prison you now occupy solely because God needed you to meet someone you never would have met otherwise. Encourage them to imagine the best case scenario. Sometimes that happens too. A little courage can go a long way.

Rick Claiborn