The Son of Encouragement
I
didn’t quite know what to make of him when I first met him. When Kim’s Aunt Carol married Uncle Gordon, he
was already in his mid to late seventies.
At that point, into our family gatherings walked this old-time preacher
whose larger than life personality was equaled only by his height as he towered
over just about everyone around him; whose deep and powerful voice seemed to
indicate that he had no real need for our modern day amplification systems; and
whose laugh echoed through a room as if we were sitting in a canyon. It seemed
like he had a never-ending list of stories of ministry events, people he had
met, places he had been, and especially of his trips to Norway. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Uncle
Gordon.
Over
time, however, I began to develop a deep appreciation for who he was and the
affect he had upon people. Although the
amount of times we were together was quite limited, I began to realize that
when we were together, I never heard him speak a negative word. He never complained. He never talked ill of
others. And, he always had a positive word, a word of encouragement, for each
person around him. This was especially significant to me during a time in my
life when I was feeling quite down about myself and questioning many aspects of
my life. When I was at one of my lowest
points, without knowing it, Uncle Gordon came along with just the right words, helping
me begin to once again feel confident about who I am and God’s call upon my
life. Uncle Gordon became to me a
personal “Barnabas," that, is, a “Son of Encouragement.” (That’s the meaning of the name “Barnabas”
found in the New Testament.)
Over
the past couple of years, Uncle Gordon and Aunt Carol had been receiving my weekly
“Pastors Devotions.” Every so often Aunt
Carol would sent me back an email, thanking me for what I had written and
letting me know how much Uncle Gordon enjoyed each one. There were times when I would come to a Friday
morning when I didn’t feel like writing. But, Uncle Gordon would come to
my mind and, knowing that he would be reading that week’s devotion (or have Aunt Carol read it to him), I would be inspired to sit down at my
computer and begin to write. (So, to
some degree you can blame at least some of my writing on him!)
This
past week, at the age of 90, Uncle Gordon left this world for eternity with his
God and Savior, the One whom he preached until he could preach no more. At that moment, our world lost a larger than
life “Barnabas,” a true “Son of Encouragement.” I am grateful for the
encouragement he spoke into my life, especially at a time when I needed it
most. And, I am reminded that as I grow older one of the greatest things I
can do with my life is to learn how to encourage others.
Thanks
Uncle Gordon for the words you spoke into my life. You were a real “Son of Encouragement!”
“Therefore encourage one another and build
each other up….” (I Thessalonians 5:11 – NIV)
Have
a great day!
Pastor
Tim Harris
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