True friends are a real gift. Special friendships are rare and precious. Such are some special people in our lives, as well as the essence of encouragement to everyone who knows them.

Bill has been diagnosed with multiple system atrophy. This came after months of symptoms with no diagnosis. He had multiple symptoms: passing out, memory issues, balance problems, and other things that affected his daily life. The doctors gave him six to seven years.

We were overcome with grief at the announcement of our friend’s illness. We have been friends since our children were little. He has been a preacher, a song leader, and a wonderful Bible school teacher.

When he was first diagnosed, he made the decision to preach and lead singing as long as he could do so effectively. After several years, he had to resign as a local minister. We were present at his last sermon. It was full of emotion, but not the kind you would think. He delivered a gospel sermon, not a sermon of regret for what was happening to him.

Not long after his diagnosis, our friend spoke to a group of people struggling with various health issues. The essence of his message was encouragement. Bill described encouragement as giving hope and confidence to others. It is always positive and never negative. Encouragement builds strong families, strong friendships, and strong congregations.

As an example, he talked about an incident that occurred that changed his life. The teacher in Bill’s teenage class asked him to teach the class in his absence. When Bill got up to teach the class, he passed out! Later, the same teacher again asked Bill to teach his class during his absence. Bill agreed, and the rest is history. Without this teacher’s encouragement, Bill said he might never have taught another class, much less become a gospel preacher.
He said it’s the little things: the cards, smiles, and especially words of encouragement that make the difference.

One of Bill’s examples of encouragement is found in Joshua 1. Joshua encouraged the Children of Israel to be strong and have courage so that they would continue in God’s law. He encouraged the people because he knew God was on their side.

Bill used Joshua to give Christians the formula for encouraging others today.

1. We can encourage by our attitude. We should be enthusiastic about our Christianity because we are children of God.

2. We can encourage by our participation. Everyone needs to participate in the work of the church. Two-year-olds want to be involved in everything. We need to go about our daily walk with Christ, desiring to be involved in the work of the church. We need to grow our faith, our energy, and our stamina.

3. We can encourage by our actions. In the parable Jesus told about the Samaritan in Luke 10, Bill pointed out that the priest and the Levite were both godly men, but it took a man of another race to stop and help the wounded man. He saw the need, and he met it.

We need to learn to see a need and do something about it. Our attitude needs to be, “What can I do for you?”

4. We can encourage by our faith. We need to live our lives looking forward to the time we will be with the Father.

Bill had to sit to preach. He had to stop driving. There are other things he can no longer do, but he looks for ways to serve. As his disease progresses, he feels obligated to find ways he can serve God and increase his faith.

The challenge for all of us is to always keep growing in our faith. Never be satisfied with where we are. Teach by the way we live our daily lives. Be the best we can be. Keep our eyes, hearts, and minds open for opportunities to serve.

Bill ended our time together with three of the seven sayings Jesus made from the cross. Two of those sayings were specifically words of encouragement. Jesus encouraged the thief by telling him He would see him in paradise. The Lord encouraged His mother by leaving her in the care of John, making sure she would be secure.

Jesus’ last words were, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” His death encourages us.

I think about Barnabas in Acts 4. His name means son of consolation. Barnabas saw the need of the new Christians, sold his land, and gave the money to the apostles to distribute to those in need.

We don’t have to sell land to encourage. We don’t have to have a serious illness to encourage. We can, every day, look for a way to encourage those around us. A kind word, a smile, a helping hand, a meal, an offer to babysit or clean someone’s house, or any act of kindness encourages and presents us to the world that we are different. We are children of God. We are here to serve.

May we live our lives so that when we are gone from this physical life, many will have been touched by our encouragement.

Sandra Oliver