Encouragement

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Have you ever been really in a tough spot or really down about something? Have you ever had someone do something or say something during one of those times that really encouraged you? It feels good doesn't it?

We are commanded to do that to one another, including those we work with - even if they drive us crazy!

As we approach the 60 year anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball (April 15), I thought this story was very appropriate:

Jackie Robinson was one of the first African Americans to play major league baseball. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson faced hostility nearly everywhere he traveled because of his race. Pitchers threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases. Brutal epithets were written on cards and shouted by players in the opposing dugouts. Even the home crowds in Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach.

While racial prejudice has declined since that time, it still is a factor in today’s society. During one game in Boston, the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. To make matters worse, Robinson committed an error and stood at second base humiliated while fans hurled insults at him. Another Dodger, a Southern white man by the name of “Pee Wee” Reese, called timeout. He walked over to Robinson and, with the crowds looking on, put his arm around his friend’s shoulder. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career. Jackie Robinson eventually went on to become one of baseball’s all-time greats.

Heroes appear under different names at different times and different circumstances, but from my perspective Pee Wee Reese was a hero and a gentleman. He did the right thing in the right way for the right reason. The bottom line is he saved one man’s career, increased the dignity of others, and as a practical matter was a significant factor in integration by his impact for his stand for fairness and justice. He was a difference maker for sure!

From Steve Goodier’s popular book, Prescription for Peace.