Have you ever had someone express encouragement to you that made you believe in yourself?
From age 10 through age 12 years old, Ross was my swim coach, and he was one of my favorite coaches throughout my career. It probably didn't hurt that was very handsome, but he also was very tough on us in practices. However, he had a way of encouraging all of his swimmers to help each one of us achieve success. Also, he was able to encourage all of us to support our teammates and take the focus off ourselves. This is such a great lesson that is taught by great leaders to their team members.
When I was 12 years old, I was participating in the Junior Olympics, which was the big meet at the end of the summer swim season. Our team was swimming really well, and we were in the running to win the entire meet and become the state champs. We didn't have the numbers that the other teams had, but we had heart and a great leader. We had serious team spirit, and we even had a cowbell that we beat on with a drum stick while we cheered. Let's just say that people knew of our presence throughout the entire weekend.
At finals on the last night of the meet, I was swimming the 100 meter backstroke. The pool was an outdoor 50 meter pool in High Point, NC. By the time my race was lining up, it was dark outside. I don't remember much of the race, but what I do remember is the best memory that I have held on to and revisit every once in a while. I had taken the race out fast, and after I flipped at the wall, when I popped up after the turn, I could see bright lights that illuminated a crowd of my teammates behind my block. They were yelling, waving their hands in the air, and beating on the cowbell. Seeing all of my teammates going crazy and cheering me on, really encouraged me push to the end of my race. When I touched the wall, I climbed out and learned I had dropped about 3 seconds. I walked over to my coach, and he told me that I had qualified for Junior Nationals, a meet that took place two weeks after this meet that included the next tier of swimmers. It was an honor, and a great accomplishment.
The feelings I had at the time are still held in my memory of pure joy from achieving something that I didn't even know that I could attain at the young age of 12. My coach always gave us a pep talk before each of our races. He had a way of making me believe in myself, along with all my teammates. I had no doubts when I walked over to my lane, only pure confidence, belief, and faith that I would have a fast race.
These same words of encouragement are gifts that we can give to others throughout our lifetime. We all need encouragement from time to time. These words of love and support can give us faith that everything will be all right.
The apostle Paul was a great example of encouragement. His encouraging words are documented in his letters that he wrote to other believers in the books of the New Testament. God used Paul's life in a mighty way. Paul, who was initially Saul, had murdered and persecuted countless followers of Christ. Christ revealed Himself to Paul, and Paul turned his life around and committed all of his remaining days to encouraging others to believe and live by faith that Christ wants us to know Him and have a relationship with Him. God longs for each and everyone of us to believe in Christ, His Son, so that our lives will be filled with confident feelings of love and eternal joy. Paul wrote of this love in his letter to the Romans, which is a book in the New Testament.
Romans 1: 8- 10
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers making request if, by some means, now at last that I may find a way in the will of God to come to you."
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