Why it’s Important to Encourage the Weak

Weak at Mile 11

I didn’t feel weak until about mile 11. At that point, I had run as far as my training had taken me last Sunday. The February drizzle and stiff wind had me feeling chilled. Although I only had 2.1 miles left to run, it looked like we’d have to run a long ways still to reach the Cardinal’s stadium.

For the past two hours I had been running in my third half-marathon—only this time, I signed up as motivation for training for a full marathon. One of those crazy things I thought I should do in my fiftieth year.

As I looked at the road ahead of me, I could hear an enthusiastic voice calling out, “Right this way! You can do it! Head to the left and then down under the road!” A teenage girl shook a huge sign with an arrow on it and called encouraging words as each runner passed by. I realized that the racers would cross under the road and run directly towards the stadium—Whew!

“You’re looking good!” she told me when I passed her. Her sweet words made me smile to myself. Sure, I felt a little weak in the knees as I headed down the incline and through the tunnel, but her ceaseless cheerleading had lifted my spirits.

The Power of Encouragement

She wasn’t the only one along the way who encouraged the runners. Pedro had cheered me at the starting line, and then hopscotched ahead in the truck every few miles to cheer me on again.

When the racers through Luke Air Force Base, airmen, both on and off duty, had turned out to cheer us on. Some had parked their cars close to the road and had their stereos blasting tracks of energizing music. Others gave high-fives and shouted encouraging words.

Their presence humbled me. I thanked every single one as I ran by. To think that these men and women, who put their lives on the line for me on a daily basis would show up on a drizzly, cold February morning to cheer for ME and a crowd full of strangers filled me with awe.

How to Treat the Weak

All of the cheering, words of encouragement, and cups of water distributed by volunteers made me think of that verse in Romans 8:26

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” (NLT).

Those volunteers and cheerleaders see weary person after weary person plod, dash, or run by. Each time they offer a word of encouragement or some nourishment. And the plodders, dashers, and runners feel refreshed. Weak limbs feel a little stronger. Tired minds that didn’t realize that they needed a positive word suddenly feel able to keep on running.

I couldn’t help but think that maybe we need more cheerleaders in church. Maybe we need to remember that we are the body of Christ—and each part of the body is equally important. “On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable…” 1 Corinthians 12:22 (NIV). I know that I often fail to cheer on the weak and offer encouragement to those who seem weary.

In order to be strong, we need cheerleaders from all walks of life to encourage us when we feel weak. And that means we all need to take part in the encouragement business.

Q4U: How can I cheer you on today? Are you working towards a big goal? Feeling discouraged about something? Let me know in the comments so I can cheer YOU on!

PS: If you’d like to know more about the marathon I’m training for, and WHY I decided to attempt to run one, you can check out my fundraising page over at the Team in Training website. I hope to raise $1200 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society—a wonderful organization that sponsors research for blood-based cancers.

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