May 19, 2024
One day this week, my good friend and coworker, Mary Lou, came to my office door and told me that it was my fault she was sleep-deprived, and that I would need to check on her from time to time to make sure she had not fallen asleep at her desk. Normally, I do not intentionally interrupt snoozing people in the middle of the night, so I asked her to elaborate. She explained that she had a lot on her mind from the previous day, and she found it difficult to switch off all the swirling thoughts. To make herself sleepy, she picked up my latest book, Finding Baby Jesus, and got so engrossed she couldn't put it down until 2:30 am when she finished it!
A side note...when a person reads one of my books, I expect a brief book report...you know, did you like it, did it end the way you thought, what was your favorite part...yes, I admit I am a wee bit insecure about my abilities as an author! By admitting that she got immersed into it gave me the positive reinforcement I love to hear.
Encouragement is something we all treasure. In the book of Acts, Barnabas, described as the "son of encouragement," exercised great confidence in Saul after his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus. While the early church leaders distrusted Saul because of his past actions as a persecutor, Barnabas vouched for his character and insisted he was a transformed man. By changing his name to Paul, his Roman name, he boldly took Jesus' gospel to a gentile world. Had it not been for Barnabas' mentoring and support, Saul might not have taken the steps in his life that eventually led to his great missionary journeys. Can you imagine what the New Testament would be like without the writings of the great apostle, Paul?
Do you have a friend who could use a good cheerleader in his or her life? According to Acts 11:26, Barnabas and Saul taught about Jesus an entire year to great numbers of people, and as a result, "the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." Grace and kindness can be life-changing!
In today's world of constant pessimism, be like Barnabas. You'll never know who God will allow you to cross paths and make a difference! And, they may even forgive you if you cause them sleep deprivation!
"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." Psalm 16:24 (KJV)
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