Desire Spiritual Growth » Love

Ambush-Style Encouragement

Daniel C. Wilson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:15:59 +0000

When I encourage someone, I want it to be more of an ambush than an appointment.

Uncalled For, Unexpected

It can be a short handwritten note, an out of the blue lunch invitation, a sincere compliment, a phone call, an act of service, or a small gift.

Whatever your preferred method of delivery, let the encouragement be completely uncalled for and unexpected.

There is a Downside to Birthday Cards

Birthday cards, Christmas gifts, anniversary roses, etc. are necessary and can’t be overlooked (unless the people around you have different expectations than those around me). But they don’t achieve the meaning I’m looking for. Even at their best, they struggle to carry the full potential of encouragement. There’s an inevitable hint of “I know I had to do this anyway, but I really do mean it.”

No Smear of Obligation Dimming the Glow

The loving ambushes are more effective expressions of encouragement, care, affection, and support than other popular alternatives to out-of-the-blue displays of Christian love. They carry the message, “I did not have to do this, but I really do care about you.” There is no smear of obligation dimming their glow.

How do you encourage people? What’s your favored approach?

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Love precedes obedience

Daniel C. Wilson — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:19:19 +0000

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” A simple if-then statement from Jesus found in John 14.

I have looked at it a thousand times, yet it was not until today that I saw it with understanding.

Here are the facts, implied by the verse:
1. If you do not love Christ, you will not obey Him either.
2. If you do not obey Christ, you must not love Him either.

For a while, I would have said that the conclusion drawn from the facts to be this: You must obey Christ in order to show/prove authentic love.

But that is dead wrong.
It is off the mark. Jesus knew that without love, there would be no obedience. Attempting to obey in order to create or prove love is equivalent to trying to produce light in order to create a lightbulb. Love is the foundation and motivation for following Christ in full obedience.

Therefore, the conclusion should look more like this: You must love Christ in oder to obey.

The words of Jesus found in Mark 12:30 chime in unison with this conclusion: The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Without love, effort to obey will lead to failure. Love precedes obedience.

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Would you have made the same decision?

Daniel C. Wilson — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:31:00 +0000

NOTE: This is a story in the same vein as the one about the football team I posted on January 11. It communicates a similar message. I find it challenging.

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
‘When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?’
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. ‘I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.’
Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, ‘Do you think they’ll let me play?’ I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, ‘We’re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.’
Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again.
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay’s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman’s head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, ‘Shay, run to first! Run to first!’
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, ‘Run to second, run to second!’
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman’s head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, ‘Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay’
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, ‘Run to third!
Shay, run to third!’
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, ‘Shay, run home! Run home!’
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team
‘That day’, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, ‘the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world’.
Shay didn’t make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day.

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