Dear Friends,

Occasionally you watch a race that lives with you - not because of who won the medal, but because of who won the race. Chances are that you don't know Derek Redmond, but if you are the least bit interested in the Olympic Games, you remember the race he won even though he never stood on the medal stand to hear "God Save The Queen."
Redmond ran for Britain in the 400 Meter during the Barcelona Olympic Games. He made it as far as the semi-finals and was cruising around the track on the final turn to win his heat and advance to the finals when his hamstring snapped sending him to the track in a writhing crumpled heap. Redmond managed to struggle to his feet before the medical staff reached him and hopped toward the finish line.
A large man - Redmond's father - quickly came out of the stands and waved off the security guards to go to his son's side. "You don't have to do this," he told his son.
"Yes I do."
"Then we will finish together." And that's what they did! The two of them stayed in Derek's lane until they crossed the finish line. The crowd was silent at first and then began to cheer the runner who would never medal. I do not know who won gold in the Men's 400 Meter in Barcelona. He no doubt received all the accolades an Olympic gold medal athlete he deserves and his victory has been entered into Olympic record books. Nothing can diminish his accomplishment. Derek Redmond, however, has entered Olympic lore. One man is a statistic, the other a story. You decide which is more profound.
What strikes us about Redmond's story - aside from his courage and the depth of his relationship with his father - is the reaction of the crowd. In an athletic arena, everyone loves a winner, but the love we hold for winners was redefined in this race. The cheers and encouragement from the spectators inspired Redmond in his hobbling toward the finish line. The story would have ended differently had cheers turned to jeers because the crowd felt a track ought to be reserved for medal contenders. I suspect there was hardly a dry eye in the stadium.
Because he had so violently persecuted the Christians, Saul had a crippled reputation when he started preaching the Gospel after regaining his sight. It was Barnabas who encouraged Saul and "stood up for him" in Jerusalem (Acts 9). Then the people listened to the fledgling Apostle. Paul later wrote about running the race with perseverance. Barnabas literally means "encourager", which is a role that receives nowhere near the attention it deserves.
Anyone can be a Barnabas. I believe encouragement is a spiritual gift because it opens doors and broadens so many horizons. Our scars (no one lives life unscarred) would define us were it not for the encouragement of others. Moreover, none of us can live the Christian life in faith without the encouragement of others and we certainly cannot live faithfully without practicing the spiritual discipline of encouraging our neighbors.