I only agreed to do it because I was asked, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Estevan’s version of the Canadian Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” was a hoot! Seriously, it was a ton of fun! Good visits, lots of food, staying up all night, good weather, entertainment (the “Mr. Relay” portion was a little disturbing to watch – but terribly funny at 2:30 in the morning) and lots of people made it a great event. It was more than just fun, though. It was inspiring!
In a time when people say, “No one cares about anyone but themselves anymore” here were several hundred people giving their time to help others.
In a time when people say, “Teenagers are lazy and don’t know how to work anymore” a pile of kids proved them wrong. When I arrived, there were teenagers everywhere! They were hanging signs, giving people rides, putting out chairs and generally doing what needed to be done.
In a time when people think, “We have lost our sense of community” I saw people who were doing something positive for one another.
The two best attitudes that I saw that night, however, were “hope” and “encouragement”. Maybe not surprisingly, those are two very Godly words.
Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. Hope should be one of the key identifiers of God’s people. There is no place in the kingdom of “the God of Hope” for those who see nothing but “gloom and doom”. That is not who we are and that is not how we are supposed to live! We are to “overflow with hope” because God is at work in us, through us and around us.
That hope then leads us to encourage others. While describing how the early church shared with one another, Luke highlights the actions of one man: “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘Son of Encouragement’), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet” (Acts 4:36-37). “Barnabas” is his nickname! It is a description of who he was and what he did. He was a “Son of Encouragement”! Wow! Wouldn’t it be great if someone could say of us, “Every time I am with [fill in your name] I come away feeling better and encouraged”. Many of our encounters seem to have the opposite effect, but Barnabas was notable because he lifted other people’s spirits.
I was thrilled to see “Hope” and “Encouragement” on display at the “Relay for Life”. It was an inspiring night, but it does not have to end there.
If we walk with God, we can live with “Hope” and “Encouragement” each day [and even into eternity], because those two words are God’s words.
In a time when people say, “No one cares about anyone but themselves anymore” here were several hundred people giving their time to help others.
In a time when people say, “Teenagers are lazy and don’t know how to work anymore” a pile of kids proved them wrong. When I arrived, there were teenagers everywhere! They were hanging signs, giving people rides, putting out chairs and generally doing what needed to be done.
In a time when people think, “We have lost our sense of community” I saw people who were doing something positive for one another.
The two best attitudes that I saw that night, however, were “hope” and “encouragement”. Maybe not surprisingly, those are two very Godly words.
Romans 15:13 says “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. Hope should be one of the key identifiers of God’s people. There is no place in the kingdom of “the God of Hope” for those who see nothing but “gloom and doom”. That is not who we are and that is not how we are supposed to live! We are to “overflow with hope” because God is at work in us, through us and around us.
That hope then leads us to encourage others. While describing how the early church shared with one another, Luke highlights the actions of one man: “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means ‘Son of Encouragement’), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet” (Acts 4:36-37). “Barnabas” is his nickname! It is a description of who he was and what he did. He was a “Son of Encouragement”! Wow! Wouldn’t it be great if someone could say of us, “Every time I am with [fill in your name] I come away feeling better and encouraged”. Many of our encounters seem to have the opposite effect, but Barnabas was notable because he lifted other people’s spirits.
I was thrilled to see “Hope” and “Encouragement” on display at the “Relay for Life”. It was an inspiring night, but it does not have to end there.
If we walk with God, we can live with “Hope” and “Encouragement” each day [and even into eternity], because those two words are God’s words.
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