Derek and I work with the youth group at church. I don’t feel especially qualified, but I do feel especially blessed to be around those teens every single week.
This year we’ve slowly been working our way through the Book of Acts. A few weeks back we discussed this passage: Acts 14:21-28. You can click over to Bible Gateway to read it…or just read my paraphrase.
Basically what is going on is this. Paul and Barnabas {a killer ministry duo} have just finished a multi-national evangelistic tour. They could circle around, cut a corner and go back a different way than what they came, or return along their same path. Cut a corner, get home sooner…or take the long road, revisiting towns that attempted to kill them.
Doesn’t seem like a tough choice.
But Paul and Barney decide to return the way they came. They wanted to go back and check on all the new believers that had heard the Gospel on their first pass through. They wanted to follow though.
And that’s the message we tried to convey to the teens: follow through. The importance of following up, especially when it comes to new believers. In my mind, I find it important to follow through in all of our relationships. Sometimes I’m not very good at it, especially if it means following up with someone I don’t know very well. You trackin’?
Tonight someone followed through with me. It was someone I didn’t think I’d hear from again, but she called me up and left an encouraging message.
A few weeks back when I was visiting Dallas for the Strip Church training conference I recieved some startling/unexpected/emotion-rolling/hard-to-handle news. If you know me, you know that sometimes I can go over the edge with emotions. I just need to cry it out. So I was in the car, driving 70 mph down the highway, crying my eyes out. I decided that wasn’t the safest choice, so I pulled off at the nearest exit to collect myself. When the tears had stopped, I went inside to buy a drink. {I had that thick post-cry slobber clogging my throat.}
An older lady {I put her at mid-60’s} was working the checkout. She {out of habit} asked me how I was doing. Now, mind you…my face was a wreck. We are talking smeared mascara, puffy red eyes, pink nose, swollen lips…the whole nine yards. I didn’t have the energy to lie, so I told her I’d had better days. At this point she took her hands off my Aquifina and looked at my face. Then she sincerely asked how I was and what had me so upset.
I told her. Then she held out her hands and took hold of mine. She closed her eyes and prayed over me. In the middle of the gas station, with a line behind me. She prayed the Holy Spirit would be on me and give me peace. That I would have joy in my heart, strength and patience to endure. Then she asked how she could follow up with me. I had a business card in my wallet, so I handed it over to her.
I was fine for the rest of my drive. And I have had a certain amount of peace ever since. Honestly, I never thought I’d hear from her again.
Until tonight.
She {DeDe from the gas station in Texas} followed through. I missed the call, but I’ll call her back. I’ve never had a small act of encouragement touch me in this way.
The point is following up matters. Interacting with one another is a good first step. But the joy, peace and love that we plant at that initial moment will wither if we don’t follow through. As humans we need support. When we reach out to one another we need to take the long road back…to check up on our people. Lucky for us, it doesn’t mean we need to face the threat of being stoned. Just a phone call, or a text, or a facebook message. Just to check in and let them know that our meeting was sincere; not just habit. You can even be more basic than that: actually pray for the needs a friend expresses to you. {How often do we say “Oh, I’d love to pray for you,” only to forget? I know it’s happened to the best of us.}
This week I challenge you to follow up with one person. Friend, family, stranger…whatever. Someone who you connected with. Follow through, see how they are doing. Allow God to bless them through your encouragement. If that’s not enough to convince you, just trust Gavin DeGraw:
“You have to follow through
You’re gonna have to follow
Oh, this is the start of something good
Don’t you agree?”
Amy
