While attending my daughter’s dance recital, I saw something meaningful. One group performed in the recital for the first time. Their group consisted of 8 total dancers. — Six of the dancers were probably 9-13 years old, while two of them were noticeably younger…probably four or five years old.
As the music started and the dance began, the two youngest dancers remained still, not doing the dance moves. After about twenty seconds of them standing nervously on stage, a lady from the sixth roll called out “Come on now” and the two girls snapped into action.
A meaningful reflection of Jesus happens as we operate as a source of encouragement.
I appreciated the volume and tone of the lady as she interjected herself into a moment not meant for her. She called out for the benefit of the two girls who needed a nudge of encouragement.
Volume: She spoke just loud enough for them to hear, but not the whole room. Sometimes we try to help other people and we do it in such a way that everybody notices us. Encouragement is supposed to be about the other person.
Application Thought #1: We reflect Jesus when our motivation is to encourage others without anyone noticing us.
Tone: The woman’s voice was stern as he she beckoned the youngest dancers to do more than stand in fear while everyone else danced around them. The attitude in her voice was enough to catch the girls’ attention and help them snap into action.
Application Thought #2: Not all encouragement is sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes encouragement takes the form of exhortation or challenge. The depth of the relationship often determines how challenging we can be with another person. Sometimes encouragement works best when it doesn’t feel like we’ve been given a choice. The lady’s tone while saying “Come on now” indicated that her directive was more than a mere suggestion.
The performance was beautiful and this group did a great job. Sometimes, we need to be spurred along in our faith journey and sometimes we are called to be the spur. Encouragement is one of our best tools to give others courage.
Keep Reflecting Jesus!
Photo by Nicholas Green on Unsplash