Romans 12:8, Hebrews 10:25

Carl Belcher

I recently came across a video diary on youtube of a guy talking to camera about how frustrated and bored he was with his life. He said that he had officially reached his all time lowest point in his career and was so bored that he even pretended to go to the bathroom for 30 minutes just to read the newspaper because he was so bored.

One phrase he said really stuck in mind: "I'm just so tired of it, I'm just so tired...there has to be something more".

I really felt for this guy as he poured out his heart onto his webcam. I started thinking that for every guy who had the bottle to vent his spleen like this, there must be hundreds if not thousands of people thinking and feeling the same way, all muffling the internal scream "there has to be more."

Whilst Jesus gives us a certain hope for the future and an inner sense of fulfilment, the truth is that everyone gets tired, even His followers. There are times when I find myself saying the same thing, "there has to be more."

So what do you do when the needle is in the red and you've lost your vavavoom?

Get ENERGIZED!

Although it sounds like a phrase you'd hear on a shopping channel flogging the next latest exercise gimmick, we all need to get energized.

One dictionary definition of energize is to give energy to; rouse into activity: to energize the spirit with brave words... or in other words, to inspire or encourage.

I saw a fantastic advert recently for the American football team BC Lions.

It showed a typical checkout operator casually passing the groceries over the scanner when a young store manager comes over and with a smile says "hey Gail, let's get things going here Gail, come on! Let's pick up the pace a little, you know the way!"

As he proceeds to encourage her to work faster, the customers in the queue join in and Gail starts scanning the grocery items faster and faster until she reaches almost warp speed! As she scans the last item, she triumphantly throws her hands in the air and jumps up and down to the cheers of the customers. The advert finishes with the words "CHEERING WORKS" on the screen and a shot of the BC Lions in action to the cheers of their thousands of fans.

It's a very clever advert, but the truth remains that encouragement is priceless. I believe that it's one of the most essential tools in our box, I'd even say one of the top 5 and yet it remains largely underused.

Although Paul shows us in Romans 12:8 that some have a special gift of encouragement, I believe that we can all encourage others at some level and that we don't just have the ability but also a duty to encourage.

I can honestly say that whenever I've overcome a challenge in my life, whether it's starting a new and scary venture or simply standing up and being counted, the thing that often gets me through are friends who encourage me to stick with it.

Why do you think that most athletes have training partners? Cause there is nothing like the cry of "Come on! You can do it!" to push you on that little bit further.

In fact it's not just helpful, it's essential! Hebrews 10:25 says "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching"

You show me a Christian who says "I don't need church" and I'll show you someone who's on a quick path to burnout. And if your thinking that your church doesn't give loads of opportunities for encouragement, then create them!

I must confess that every now and then I get to feeling sorry for myself. I think "Man, I'm worn out. I've got nothing to give and I sure wish someone would encourage me for a change!" I've learned though that you can never out give God. Whenever I'm feeling like that but I still choose to make an effort to really encourage someone, God always refreshes me and I start to feel energized just by energizing them.

So make the choice today to be a person who energizes those around you and remember. CHEERING WORKS!