This past Saturday Anna and I joined nearly 27,000 other runners who ran the 6.2 miles out and back on Monument Avenue, finishing at the huge party in Monroe Park. We took a little longer than the winner who ran it in just a few seconds over thirty minutes, but whatever the time, it was a great experience. The weather was warm, the flowers were in bloom, and running on Monument Avenue is always a treat.
It has been a few years since I have run the Monument Avenue 10k, and this year something caught my attention more than previous years. One of the highlights of the race is all the spectators standing all along the race route. At many of the fine homes along the route there are parties with all kinds of food and beverages. All along the grassy center median families and friends are having brunch picnics. There are DJ’s, pep bands, oldies rock bands, religious groups, political parties, VCU cheerleaders, fraternities, sororities, and nearly every imaginable group gathered to enjoy the day. But what caught my attention this year more than ever was how nearly everyone along the race route were encouraging all of the runners.
As Anna and I ran, people were cheering for us at the start of the race. People were cheering for us at each of the circular round a bouts, people were standing in front of all of the churches cheering for us. People were standing on their front porches and front lawns cheering for us. It was overwhelming. About two miles in stood Greg McQuade, journalist with Richmond’s CBS Channel 6, he had a bullhorn shouting cheers to the runners. At the halfway point, where the route took a U-turn, there was Hugh Joyce, owner (and ad star) of James River Heating and Air. He was on a stage with a large PA system he was using to cheer the runners. And then there were the hundreds and hundreds of individuals holding signs and offering the simple cheers: “You’re doing great!” “You’ve got this!” “You’re almost there!” “Keep it up!” “Don’t stop now!”
Of course the best cheers came from Beverley, who stood close to the start of the race route and cheered for us by name as we passed. She then made her way over and stood just before the finish line, and as Anna and I approached she stood and cheered us on by name as we made that last push to finish. Your wife cheering you on by name is the best encouragement, by the way.
As I heard all the cheers and experienced all of that encouragement, I thought how important it is for us to encourage one another, not just in a once-a-year 10k, but in the living of life. In life we do things that are far more challenging that running six miles. We face days where it is easy to quit, to stop moving forward, and just give up. We are often presented with challenges that deplete our energy, our hope, our faith, and pull us down. We need encouragement.
Paul, in his letter to the church at Thessaloniki, tells them to "encourage one another and build each other up.” That admonition Paul gave nearly 2,000 years ago is still essential for us today. I have seen the social media meme stating “what the world needs is more encouragers, it already has enough critics.” These words, along with Paul’s, are true.
May we be people who offer encouragement to others, we never know just how much someone may need it. And may we, by the grace of God, hear words of encouragement to keep us going just at the point when we can barely catch our breath and are about to give up.
May this be your Christian intention today and always: be an encourager.