Encourage One Another.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, 

so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” 

Hebrews 3:13

Everyone needs encouragement. A few weeks ago I was in Starbucks working on a study on the attributes of God.  A gal sitting next to my table saw I was reading the Bible and asked what I was doing?  I told her I was studying the word and recovering from ankle surgery.  I her asked, “What she was doing?”  She said she was writing devotionals for a 30 second radio spot to be aired later in the week.

This gal I was talking to is Virginia Hill, a Christian singer, who serves the Lord signing at women’s conferences, crisis pregnancy events, and concerts.  Her first CD, “LOL” (text/instant message lingo for “Laugh Out Loud”) recently debuted in 2007 and another CD is coming in November.

I never heard of Virginia Hill until I met her.   I asked Virginia if she could send me her CD.  She said she would.  I gave her one of my postcards that includes this blog address and wrote her a short note of encouragement.

A Special Package.  Later that week I received two copies of Virginia’s CD.  What I was not expecting was a note of encouragement along with this devotional she wrote: Perseverance.

“I recently met a man named Jeff at a coffee house where I was working on writing this devotional.  When I entered I noticed he had limited mobility and it took him a long time to get to his seat.

I was curious when I noticed he was studying the Bible and I leaned over and asked what he was studying.  He smiled and began to tell me about his struggles with bone on bone arthritis and how he wants to share the message of hope he has found in the strength of the Lord. He’s even developed his own ministry to encourage and strengthen others.  As he spoke my eyes looked at his left leg propped up on a chair and the crutches lying on the floor. He said when he was twenty-three he had surgeries replacing his hips and recently had a cast removed from his right ankle replacement surgery and now was recovering from his left ankle replacement. He even smiled as he said that there were more surgeries scheduled. His honesty and sweet spirit amazed me.

I was challenged by his example and thought of how many times I let small irritations distract me from being who I am called to be in Christ. Jeff has committed his life to serve and encourage others who are faced with difficult questions and choices.  We may not have to withstand the struggles with living with a disability but we all have things in our lives that we need to overcome. Each of us are handcrafted to fulfill His purpose.  By allowing the Lord to be our strength we press on beyond the circumstances and trials of our lives.”

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  James 1:2-3

I praise the Lord and am humbled that He could use me to encourage Virginia and that she encouraged me too.  

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 come to mind, "But we have his treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."