“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” Romans 12:15

“The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary.” Isaiah 50:4

You will remember Jackie Robinson as the first black man to play Major League baseball. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, Robinson faced venom nearly everywhere he traveled. Pitchers threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases; brutal epithets were written on cards and spoken from the opposing dugouts. Even the home crowds in Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach. During one game in Boston, the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. To make matters worse Robinson committed an error and stood at second base humiliated while the fans hurled insults at him. Another Dodger by the name Pee Wee Reese, called time out. He walked from his position at shortstop toward Robinson at second base, and with the crowds looking on; he put his arm around Robinson’s shoulder. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career.

Encouragement can be an arm on a shoulder, a smile, a simple compliment, or a prayer with a fellow Christian. May God grant us the gift of encouragement to “weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.”

“Holy Father, help us today to speak a timely word to a weary soul and to lift their eyes and heart to see Jesus and know His love and guidance today. In Jesus’ name. Amen”