When
19-year-old Johnny Agar finished the 5k race, he had a lot of people behind
him—family members and friends who were celebrating his accomplishment.
Johnny
has cerebral palsy, which makes physical activity difficult. But he and his
dad, Jeff, have teamed up to compete in many races—Dad pushing and Johnny
riding. But one day, Johnny wanted to finish by himself. Halfway through the
race, his dad took him out of his cart, helped him to his walker, and assisted
Johnny as he completed the race on his own two feet. That led to a major
celebration as friends and family cheered his accomplishment. “It made it easier
for me to do it with them behind me,” Johnny told a reporter. “The
encouragement is what drove me.”
Isn’t that what Christ-followers are meant to do? Hebrews 10:24 reminds us, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (niv). As we model the love of our Savior (John 13:34-35), imagine the difference it could make if we all set out to encourage each other—if we always knew that behind us we had a group of friends cheering us on. If we took the words “comfort each other and edify one another” (1 Thess. 5:11) seriously, the race would be easier for all of us.
