Everyone needs a cheerleader. An individual to come alongside us and say, “I see someone special.” Someone who helps us discover the greatness inside ourselves when we struggle to see anything of value. A good cheerleader will tell us, “I see something special inside you, and I can’t wait till you unleash it on the world.”
I have been captivated by Coldplay’s Miracles (Someone Special) for the past few days. There is something about it that tugs at my heart. It fills me with energy to continue growing into the person God would have me be.
You Could
We have options when it comes to how we will move through life. It would be easy to give up when things get difficult, and they will. We could listen to those who speak words that diminish or destroy our sense of purpose and being.
We could.
Or, we could listen to those who look at us and see someone special. Those who say,
In you I see someone special
You’ve got fire in your eyes, I see heaven inside
You’ll go further than we’ve ever gone
Gospel Cheers
As I read the gospels, I find Jesus time and again coming alongside people and declaring, “In you I see someone special, I see heaven inside.”
Jesus speaks life-giving words to all kinds of people. Men, women, and children. Some who appear to be “making a mess” of their lives hear words of grace and encouragement.
When Jesus called a bunch of fishermen, a tax collector, and a zealot to be among his disciples, he spoke, “In you I see someone special, I see heaven inside.”
Speaking to the woman caught in adultery, he declared, while those gathered to stone you see little value in who you are, “In you I see someone special.”
Speaking to Peter, the disciple who disowned him three times, Jesus restores his relationship with him and sets Peter on the path to continue Christ’s work. “In you I see someone special.”
What went wrong?
Somewhere between Jesus speaking with Peter and today, we have lost the heart of Jesus.
In the words we speak or attitudes we reflect, people hear the message, you’ll never be no one in your whole life.
What went wrong?
Imagine if we grew our ability to speak life and value into each other, rather than destroy and tear down.
My Cheerleaders
There have been tremendous cheerleaders who saw something inside me long before I dared dream it possible.
They spoke of life and hope when all I felt was fear and failure.
I am thankful for each of them.
Those who have experienced trauma and tragedy in their lives will need to hear counter-messaging (you are special) for a long time before they start to believe it. We can never cheer too hard or too long for one another.
Cheers from History
The stories of women and men who faced extraordinary opposition yet chose to keep moving forward also serve as cheerleaders. They point to what can be.
The apostle Paul speaks of them as a great cloud of witnesses. Those who have gone before bear witness to what faithfully moving forward looks like.
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
Hebrews 12:1-3 msg
All Life Long (keep on dancing)
Listening to the voices of our cheerleaders and the Spirit of God drown out the burdens of this world, we dance our way through whatever life brings our way.
Take a moment today and celebrate your biggest cheerleaders.
Spend a few minutes looking at the people in your life and asking, “How can I be a cheerleader for someone else?”
Who in my circle of friends needs to hear,
In you I see someone special
You’ve got fire in your eyes, I see heaven inside
You’ll go further than we’ve ever gone
THIS!!!! YESSSSSS