I'm sure you know by now my oldest son is an avid volleyball player. He is more than committed. He eats to play, trains to play, and studies to play. He loves the sport, and I love to watch him. The games for his high school team and tournaments for his club team fill up our weekends most of the year; we try to attend as many of them as possible. I guess he's not the only one committed to the sport. ☺ What's equally enjoyable to watch during the games is my other two kids. They shout and cheer their hearts out for their brother. Even though my 13-year son is one of the younger fans in the stands, he creates chants for the crowd to follow so his brother can hear the hype of support. When my younger son uses his voice to rally the fans, my daughter waves handmade posters so her brother and his team can see the encouragement. They both have recorded highlight reels and pictures on their phone to show them off to others. What I love is that they yell and cheer when no one else does and is committed to the hit or block before it's even executed with the hope of it being successful. And it's not just for my older son; the boys are just as devoted to their sister when she pursues challenges. Last summer, my daughter stepped out of her comfort zone and decided to run for an SGA position for her school. She lost the election and handled the defeat fine, but my younger son cried because he felt heartbreak for his sister. And it goes without saying, my older kids applaud their younger brother when he pushes through and overcomes. When my son studied for his Science Olympiad competition, his siblings constructed some experiments to test and explore so he can practice before the contest. They are each other's biggest fan. We must do the same for the body of Christ. Let's be committed to one another and cheer for each other even before any demonstration of success. Let's be the ones who shout the loudest, so everyone can hear and craft the most encouraging posters, notes, letters, emails, etc., so all believers see we're behind them. Let's be each other's biggest cheerleaders.
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
~1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
AMEN!