Be of Good Cheer

 Today I wanted to blog about being of good cheer. What does the word cheer mean anyway?  When I searched online this is what I got.....

cheer/CHi(ə)r/

Verb:	Shout for joy or in praise or encouragement: "she cheered from the sidelines".
Noun:	A shout of encouragement, praise, or joy.

Oh yes I like that.  To shout for joy or praise or encouragement...as in a cheerleader.  I was a cheerleader once upon a time back in the day.  Yes friends I was.  I am sure for most of you that does not come as a shock but for those of  you who may stumble upon my pondering blog you may ask what does this have to do with anything. Well let me tell ya.....but I must go back to a time when I was young & didn't understand the path God was setting into motion.  

I grew up listening to my mom tell stories of her glory days as a cheerleader in the 1950's.   I'm not sure how it came about that it was my dream to cheer too but I remember practicing all the time. At my parents home they had these big sliding glass doors in our den that led to the outside yard.  I would practice in front of those doors where I could see my reflection.  I yelled.  I tumbled.  I jumped. When I was in 6th grade I tried out for cheerleader before the student body and I lost.  I remember being so upset but more determined then ever that the next year I would win.  So I tried out again in 7th grade and I lost.  My mom was waiting for me with a hug and tears. We sat down over a snack and I cried while she talked....counseled...and.cried with me. I was not to give up.  I just needed to practice harder, longer and get a tutor.  (Yes she got me a High School cheerleader to come by my house that summer and tutor me in cheering.)   :) Mom also told me that I had to learn to be more outgoing.  Believe it or not (and many of you will not believe it) I was VERY shy. I never looked people in the eye and I rarely smiled big.  I was quiet when around people I didn't know. I was different with family of course.  


I practiced all summer before I started 8th grade.  It was wonderful to have a tutor who knew the ropes & could teach me things I was unable to teach myself.  She was very patient and kind with me.  

My first day of 8th grade came and before I knew it was ready to get on the bus for my first day of the new me........Right before I walked out the door, my mom said....now honey don't forget to smile at people with your teeth and with your eyes.  And call them by name.  Ask how their summer was etc.  I don't remember what my thoughts were but I do remember being scared yet determined.      


This was a turning point in my life. Every person I had said hello to, smiled and asked how their summer seemed to change right before my eyes. Their face would light up and we would talk.  I didn't just ask the popular people.  I asked the ones who were shy, ordinary kids....just like me.  When I got home that night my mom asked me if I had done what she has encouraged me to do.  I said yes I had.  Then I said............my face hurt. Ha!  Ha!  The muscles in my face had never been used quite to this extent before.  

The rest of the story.....I tried out for cheerleader my 8th grade year and I won.  I cheered for  three years.  Mama was right....it was fun!



For years I have told this story and didn't realize God's hand in this  Oh I know it is just a silly story about being a cheerleader.....a little girls dream to attain something that she was fearful yet determined to do.  But looking back it was more then that.  There are so many life lessons in this.  With wisdom God gave my mother the wisdom to teach me to never give up....to endure....to strive and to seek council from others who can help.  God also taught me to take a step of faith by looking people in the eye, touch their life in some way and call them by name.

My gift is hospitality.  The word hospitality really means to be kind to strangers.  My gift is a person....the person of Jesus Christ.  He gave me this gift long ago.  He cultivated it in me at a growing time in my life.  He used my passion for cheer leading to spur me on to achieve what He wanted for me............to use that gift for His glory.  

So what does it mean to be of good cheer?  For me it means putting my best foot forward even when times are tough.  To smile and greet people like they are special.....because really they are special!  To not take myself too seriously.  I am human after all and I make mistakes all the time.  I need to grant others mercy and encourage them when they have a rough day.  The older I get the more I realize there are so many hurting and lonely people out there who just want to know that someone knows their name.  Don't we all!  I pray that you won't ever discount the power of a smile....a touch.... or  word of encouragement.  They mean the world to the person to whom they are directed.  So Friends be of good cheer...God can and will do wonderful things with your life.  Till next time.