Be Encourage-able

I have been thinking a lot recently about William Wilberforce as not only is it his anniversary but also he is the theme of my Lent course. One thing though is that quickly pointed out is that William did not work alone but was part of a group, called the Clapham Sect. These people all shared the same thoughts about slavery but only one of them could represent that opinion in parliament. A task at some times I'm sure he would rather not have had to do.

That's a fact, we are often faced with tasks we would rather not do. Going to the dentist, confronting an awkward individual or visiting a disliked relative. Just today I bumped my car into a parked car and caused some damage. All my fault and also my job to tell the owner. How much I would have liked to dodge that little job. Just be cause the right thing needs to be done does not mean that we want to do it. We're not all superheroes.

The truth is that we need support and encouragement. It's a part of the human mentality it's why we need friends and family and usually hate being alone. Wilberforce was encouraged by the Clapham sect and strengthened in his task which he saw through to the very end. If you are part of a church then you should be in a community of like minded people and everyone in that community should be attempting to support and encourage one another. This may be in small ways or huge ways, a smile and a nod or helping someone recover from an illness. We all have different skills and abilities and are all different parts of Christ's body on Earth. That's what a church essentially is.

So accept this and try two things this Lent. First encourage and support the people around you in what they are trying to do and be encouraged by the efforts of others trying to help you. Then empowered by love you may well achieve far more than you ever felt possible. In short be encourage - able.

Peace Dave