1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.
I had a great English teacher called Mr. Cruikshanks (a wonderful Scottish name)
when I was in High School. He not only taught me how to effectively read poetry,
drama and literature, he also taught me how to write – quite literally.
His calligraphy was remarkable. I can still picture him writing beautiful script
on the blackboard with some white chalk. The curves and shapes of the letters
fascinated me. I had never come across anything like it before. He wrote in
italics and it was a joy to both read his comments on my homework and to see his
handiwork.
Before he became my teacher, my handwriting was atrocious. It was so bad that I
couldn’t decipher it at times. My previous teachers had given up on me ever
writing anything that was legible and so I never improved. But when I saw Mr.
Cruikshanks’ style of writing for the first time, I knew that I wanted to copy
it. My mother purchased a small book on calligraphy for me. Gradually, over the
years, my handwriting improved and because of that, so did my love for
literature.
My English teacher encouraged me as he watched my calligraphy develop. When he
corrected my homework, he not only commented on its content, but he also wrote
examples of how he styled certain combinations of letters. By the time I left
High School six years later, I had not only copied Mr. Cruikshanks’ wonderful
lettering, I had also developed a few unique combinations of my own, which I
still use. Without his initial encouragement (no pun intended), I would never
have enjoyed writing so much as I do today.
Encouragement is a great teacher of all of us. Paul uses it to build up the
emerging churches in the Mediterranean. Congregations that are growing, usually
have great encouragers as their leaders. As Christians, we are called to help
our own churches grow and among the best ways to do this, are to encourage
others to deepen their faith, to appreciate their accomplishments, and to
compliment their work for the Lord.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the people in our past who have greatly
encouraged us to develop our skills and fulfill our dreams. Thank You for those
members in our congregations, whose encouraging words make us want to deepen our
faith and enhance our service in God’s Kingdom. Help us also to do the same for
those who are developing their commitment to You, especially those who are
emerging as church leaders. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart traqair@aol.com
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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