I’ve never been very athletic. I did play Little League baseball as a kid and played a little friendly baseball after my service experience, but I was never in demand on anybody’s team. And I wasn’t much of a coach for my boys’ athletic pursuits.

Our daughter, Jenny, was a cheerleader and we tried to be at all her games. It was amazing how critical parents and observers were toward their sons trying their best in basketball and football. “Come on, Michael, wake up! What’s the matter with you?”

What an encouragement it was when our son, Nathan, decided to go out for cross country. We attended most of his track meets, but he arose to the occasion with those long distance runs. He, wired like his Dad, learned how to take it easy and pace himself. I would maneuver to key places along the run to cheer him on. He never knew where I’d be, but always knew I was there.

In those years of attending cross country races, I never heard a discouraging word. Even last-place runners get cheers, not jeers. “Go, Nathan, You can do it!” Cross Country just might be the most positive sport out there.

“Pleasant words are…sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24).

The Christian life is a long-distance run. Its not who starts the race, but who finishes. As fellow believers discipline themselves to run the race, they need encouragement. They need “pleasant words” that bring “sweetness to the soul”.

What are some pleasant words you have received lately?

Tags: cross country, encouragement, sports, words