A Bunch of Cheerleaders!

A few months ago I joined a Facebook group entitled, “Runners 60+ (Long May We Run).”  Obviously, it’s for people who run who are 60 years old or older. I thought it might be a couple hundred people from across the country. I soon learned that it is now over 7,000 people from all across the globe! Thus, I get to read posts from people who are sharing their runs, running stories, and challenges from places as far away as Australia, Dubai, India, Ireland, Brazil, and of course from across the US. One person even posted their marathon run from Antarctica! Mostly, however, it is a group of runners who cheer each other. The group, you might say, is a bunch of 60+ cheerleaders!  

This week I posted on the group page, as I did on my own FB page, the run I took on the one year anniversary of my back/spinal surgery. Since July I’ve been doing some runs and had built up to mostly 5K’s (I did one four miler). To celebrate that day, I did a full 10K (6.2 miles). I then posted my run on the group page with a little background and a word of thanks to God and to my family; the response was incredible! Thus far, I have had about 400 reactions (thumbs up, hearts, etc.) and almost one hundred comments. In the comments are some shared stories, a bit of advice for the future, and lots and lots of congratulations and words of encouragement—e.g. “Awesome!” “That’s great!” “Keep going!” “I’m proud of you!”  One person from Australia wrote, “Timothy Harris that's fantastic. I hope God will continue to bless you with His grace so that in the future you will be able to run more.” What an encouragement!  This group makes me want to get out and run and run some more! 

It makes me think of the words that we read in the Bible to those who are followers of Jesus.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up….” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 – NIV) The Book of Hebrews says, “…encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 3:13) and “…let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds….” (Hebrews 10:24 – NIV) That is, we as followers of Jesus are called to do for each other just what my distant running friends from the FB group have done for me: encourage one another, cheer each other on, and motivate each other to keep on running the race—i.e., this race called faith! 

I wonder how we as followers of Jesus might cheer each other on today. Why not make that quick call or send that text or even post that FB message? It just might be what that other person needs today to keep on running the race that is before them. 

Let’s live our lives as a bunch of cheerleaders! 

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris