Great Cloud of Witnesses

A few weeks ago Belinda and I attended a performance of Secret Garden by a local middle school. It was very well done, but the main reason we went wasn't to see the play. It was because Jeremy, a friend of ours, was one of the performers. He did a great job.

One of the nice things about the evening was seeing several "older" friends (i.e. older than us!) who also came to watch him perform. I think the presence of those of us from a couple of generations removed from Jeremy will have a bigger impact on his life than he probably realizes right now. You see, after the performance was over, you would have thought Jeremy had just won an Oscar by the way we carried on. Our praise of him was sincere, but I'm sure he thought we made a much bigger deal of it than a middle school play deserved. It wouldn't surprise me if we even embarrassed him a little, but I also bet deep down he very much enjoyed getting such recognition.

What a blessing it is for all of us, but especially young people, to have "fans;" people who support them, cheer for them, tell them they did ok even when they really didn't. It's a good thing for Moms and Dads to do that, but it's also a blessing when others can cheer on and praise kids not their own. When we believe in them it makes is so much easier for them to believe in themselves.

As I think about my own life, I remember older people at church (actually they were younger than I am now!) who always had an encouraging word for me, even when I didn't want to hear it. At the time, I viewed those people as something of a nuisance. Later, however, after I decided to return home to God after being off in a far country, I always felt that they had contributed in some way to my homecoming. Using the imagery from Hebrews 12, I had my very own cloud of witnesses.

It's nice to know that we can impact people from younger generations in ways that may very well shape their futures. It doesn't require some major effort or ability. It's mostly a matter of just giving them positive attention. Be warned, they make look at you like you're some kind of nut when you say something really out there, like, "Hey, I'm glad to see you today." But don't give up. The contribution you are making will likely make more of an impact than you will ever know.