Inspirational article from Joanne Lowe

ARE YOU AN ENCOURAGER?

“They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.”

Isaiah 41: 6, 7 King James Version

I have some very dear friends who have married for over fifty years. They have been cleaning their church for almost twenty years. I asked them one time if they ever got tired of cleaning the church. They said “No, but it would sure help if someone would say thank you”. When they told me that, I was amazed. In all of the years they had been faithfully serving Jesus by cleaning the church, not only had nobody said thank you, but they had never been acknowledged in any way by the church for their service.

Cleaning the church is just as important as preaching, teaching, singing or anything else. We all need each other and we should all be encouraging one another. So often, the ones that are not seen are forgotten and overlooked. May God forgive us for not acknowledging His faithful servants! I’m wondering if we know who cleans the church we attend. We may have seen their names but do we know them. Do we know what heartaches and burdens they have? Have we prayed for them?

What about the ones who fold the bulletins, the ones who greet the people at the doors, the ones who stand out in the cold and rain to direct us where to park, and the professional people in our congregation who have volunteered to help if an emergency arises? Have we thanked them? We take people for granted and we take Jesus for granted. Let’s become an encourager to them and express our gratitude to them for their faithful service.

Joanne Lowe

March 29, 2007

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