Valerie is a 42-year-old, single, Reformed Christian lady who lives in Baltimore. She doesn't remember a time
before she knew and loved Jesus, but she does remember accepting John Calvin into her heart in March of 2000.
Valerie is a member of Christ Reformed Evangelical Church in Annapolis.
Though her career aspiration is to be a housewife, Valerie has not yet found anyone suitable who wishes to hire
her for employment in that field (or, more properly, anyone suitable has not found her), so in the meantime she
earns her daily bread working in communications -- editing, writing, print design and website management.
You Get More of What You Subsidize
I liked this story about encouragement (even if it is about hockey, too).
Fran Tarkenton, former Minnesota Vikings quarterback, once called a play that required him to block onrushing tacklers. NFL quarterbacks almost never block. They're usually vastly outweighed by defenders, so blocking exposes them to the risk of severe injury. But the team was behind, and a surprise play was needed. Tarkenton went in to block, and the runner scored a touchdown. The Vikings won the game.
Watching the game films with the team the next day, Tarkenton expected a big pat on the back for what he'd done. It never came. After the meeting, Tarkenton approached coach Bud Grant and asked, "You saw my block, didn't you, Coach? How come you didn't say anything about it?"
Grant replied, "Sure, I saw the block. It was great. But you're always working hard out there, Fran. I figured I didn't have to tell you."
"Well," Tarkenton replied, "if you ever want me to block again, you do!"
I think it is part of our worship of God to recognize His work in and through others. Perhaps we worry too much that it'll go to their heads if we tell them about it, but we really do need each other's objective perspective on both the good fruit and the bad fruit in our lives. God works through His saints to encourage His saints to produce more of the good and less of the bad.
Posted by Valerie (Kyriosity) at 10:52 AM
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6 comments
6 Comments:
On November 15, 2007 10:02 AMpentamomwrote... I am SO bad about this. I wish I could get a chip implanted in my brain with this thought. For me, it's not so much "they'll get a big head" as "Gee, they don't need ME to tell them that, as if MY opinion matters." SMACK! That's not what encouragement's about! {Smacking self yet again.}
On November 15, 2007 10:34 AMValerie (Kyriosity)wrote... Jane, I think that actually is a part of what encouragement's about. I'm sure that I'm not the only person in your life who holds you in very high regard and values your opinion very much. Evaluation is more dependable from people we respect, and positive feedback will be more encouraging from them than from those we respect less.
On November 15, 2007 12:49 PMpentamomwrote... Well, I agree there, but what I meant was that encouragement is not all about my gazing at my navel and assessing how much my opinion is, or ought to be, worth. It's about ENCOURAGING OTHERS! IT IS NOT ABOUT ME!!! (even in a self-deprecating sense!)
On November 15, 2007 12:58 PMValerie (Kyriosity)wrote... I actually think that's a key point with any expression of love. One of my battles in recent years has been getting over thinking that I have nothing to give anyone...that my efforts to love and serve couldn't possibly be of any value. Fortunately, I have elders who have no use for that sort of nonsense and applied powerful pedal propellant to my posterior...their own special brand of encouragement. ;-)
By the way, have I mentioned lately that I go to the best church in the world with the best shepherds in the world? :-D
