Hebrews 12:1 – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
From the time I was seven years old until the time I was seventeen years old, I played sports. Whether playing softball or volleyball, I was “all in” and played with my whole heart. I enjoyed playing in these games, but I enjoyed winning even better. In those ten years of playing sports, I experienced wins and losses, and sometimes even had a defeated spirit because the other team just seemed better. I would always enjoy hearing the fans in the stands cheer on our team.
“You can do it!”
“Go, Patriots!”
Whether we were behind or ahead on the scoreboard, they would always cheer for us. The fans were our family members, parents, friends, and even people who would just stop to watch the game. Some fans, specifically the ones who probably played sports when they were younger, wanted to run onto the field to play with us and help us win the game. As we made winning catches, hits, spikes, and scores, the excitement could be felt in the air. I imagine some parents were saying to one another, “Did you see my kid catch that?” or “Look at them go!” After those exciting plays, the one who made the play or scored the winning point would look in the stands to see how proud and excited the fans were, and maybe even caught a glimpse of a smile on a parent’s face.
Sometimes during these games, I would stumble as I ran to the next base or would get hit by the ball as it came toward me. Even when I fell or got hit, the fans never left the stands. They continued to support and cheer for the team. In our Christian lives, we have fans who are cheering us on. We cannot see them, but the Bible reminds us that there is …so great a cloud of witnesses,…
If I had to guess, I would say that we all have a few people in that crowd who have gone before us, whether they were great men or women of faith or our loved ones. They are there in Heaven, watching us and cheering for us, even when we fall or stumble in this Christian life. I would like to think that they see us as we knock on doors, invite people to church, care for babies in the nursery, teach Sunday school, pray for one another, encourage each other, sit next to a visitor, show an act of kindness, and stay faithful to church. I imagine them saying to each other things such as these:
“Did you see my child?”
“Did you see my loved one?”
“Did you see them keep going?”
“Did you see them get up and continue in the faith?”
We have a …great cloud of witnesses…, and they are cheering us on! What are they saying right now from the grandstands of Heaven?
“Don’t quit! Get up! Keep going!”
by Mandy Harper
