By Andy Hansen
Are you weary of the never-ending swirl of bickering, negativity, and cynicism that envelopes our culture on a daily basis?
Perhaps this attitude is heightened by the presidential election. Maybe the cloud we”re under grew with the ever-increasing cost of gasoline, talk of global warming, the ceaseless debate over the Iraq War, a record number of tornadoes in the United States, and devastating earthquakes in China.
BAD NEWS
Some of the bad news included recent coverage of an incredibly cruel video showing a group of girls pummeling another student who supposedly had posted insulting comments about them on MySpace. These teenagers took vengeance by beating””and videotaping””their screaming victim and then posting the scene on YouTube for all to see. Somehow these teens didn”t consider the possibility that this violent display could result in charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault.
In another case, a 13-year-old named Megan became depressed and committed suicide after being demeaned and assailed with unkind comments on MySpace. Supposedly, a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans made degrading on-line statements about Megan, including this one: “The world would be a better place without you.” But the mother of another teenage girl is charged with creating Josh Evans. He never actually existed.
We are subjected to tantalizing and shocking 24-hour news reporting that can be overwhelming. The decline of Judeo/Christian values and stringent “separation of church and state” fanaticism are contributing to moral decline in our society where men do only what is right in their own eyes.
This can numb a person”s senses and produce a cynical and/or bunker mentality. And unless we are careful, this cynicism can begin to permeate the marrow of the saints and negatively flavor attitudes within the body of Christ!
BOLD LIVING
Christians must choose to live boldly by refusing to be swept away by the current culture! Christians must choose to stand on the rock of scriptural truth . . . and respond.
Hebrews 12 suggests how to stand:
“¢ “Run with perseverance” (v. 1).
“¢ “Fix our eyes on Jesus” (v. 2).
“¢ “[Do] not grow weary and lose heart” (v. 3).
“¢ “Endure hardship as discipline” (v. 7).
“¢ “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy” (v. 14).
“¢ Remember, “We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,” so “be thankful,” and “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (v. 28).
First Thessalonians 5:11 tells how to respond: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.”
Earlier this year I reread several notes of encouragement my mother had written to me over the years. Mom made the writing of such notes a part of her ministry. They weren”t earthshaking or fancy, relevant or edgy; they were simple responses of faith by my mother that had incredible impact on others for the good of the kingdom!
I have tried to follow her example and encourage others to do the same. I have been pleased to visit with students who have shown me notes of encouragement from our youth ministry staff. Sometimes the notes are taped on their mirror or kept in a drawer. After seeing the joy on their faces and hearing how special these little notes of praise and support were at key moments of their lives, I always left wondering if these tools were not more effective than any teaching I had shared.
I remember a youth Sunday at our church when a very shy young man was helping to serve Communion. It took all the courage he could muster. He was red in the face and physically struggling. His hands were shaking so hard I thought for sure he was going to baptize someone with Communion juice! Yet, he did it! He successfully served all those in his section of the auditorium.
That Sunday afternoon I wrote him a short note praising him for trusting God and stepping out of his comfort zone to serve the Lord. I told him I was proud of him and I truly believed God had a special plan for his life.
Later in the week, I received an urgent knock on my office door. In the hallway stood the boy”s mother. She was in tears and had my note in her hand. Struggling with emotions, she shared how deeply this little source of recognition and praise had affected her son. He had gained confidence and now possessed a spirit of joy and desire for Christ that she hadn”t seen before but had desperately been praying for.
One of the most powerful spiritual moments I have ever experienced was at a retreat where students had poster board tied to their backs and everyone had a pen in hand. The students spent almost 45 minutes writing comments of encouragement and love on the backs of others. They shared observations about the uniqueness of each person and how they are appreciated in Christ. They encouraged one another with a vision to do great things for the kingdom of God.
It was a holy environment where the Spirit of God incredibly moved in the lives of these students. Many sat with tears streaming down their faces as they read and reflected on what had been written.
A SIMPLE PLAN
I know this is a “Reflections” article, but after reflecting, could I be bold in asking you to take action? The simple plan outlined in the box on this page could result in tremendous spiritual benefits. An army of kingdom workers, taking such a simple stand, can really make a radical change in their culture and positively touch lives with acts of encouragement.
Consider what Mark Penn states in his latest book, Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow”s Big Changes (Twelve, 2007): “In today”s mass societies, it takes only 1 percent of people making a dedicated choice””contrary to the mainstream”s choice””to create a movement that can change the world.”
Will you join me in the challenge? Let”s see what God can do through the creativity of his faithful servants in just a year or two!
Just a Simple Seven
Buy seven stamps (this will cost you less than $3). Skip one lunch a month. (That will save you the $3.) Spend your lunchtime to write a note of encouragement to seven people.
Here are some possibilities:
“¢ A family member
“¢ A friend
“¢ A student
“¢ A missionary
“¢ A neighbor
“¢ Someone from your church
“¢ A minister, elder, or other leader at your church
“¢ A civil servant
“¢ A volunteer servant
(Yes, that”s nine categories””in case you draw a blank on one or two.)
Your notes can contain any combination of the following: praise, encouragement, compliments, God”s grace and love, a Scripture verse with additional comments, reasons you are thankful for this person, and specific prayer thoughts.
If one person disciplines himself to do this once a month for a full year, 84 people will receive bursts of encour-agement. There are at least 40,000 readers of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. If one fourth commit to a year of action, 840,000 people will be blessed with notes!
Andy Hansen is executive director with Christ In Youth, Joplin, Missouri. He writes, “I”d love to receive your stories of what God does through your acts of encouragement and building others up! Please e-mail me at [email protected]!”
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