The Wounded Cowboy

Boone had been shot in his side.  And he was laying on his stomach on the ground with the realization he was about to die.  So he quickly wrote a note to his son.  Here is part of what he wrote:  "If I only had Johnny here I wouldn't feel so bad.  Johnny, he always sort of perked a feller up no matter how bad things got."

I read that story in a western novel written by Louis L'amour.  The part about how Johnny "always sort of perked a fellow up" really grabbed my attention.  It made me think about 1 Thessalonians 5:11, which reads "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up."

Boone, in his tough predicament, needed some encouragement.  And plenty of people all around us need the same thing today.  Feeling low and discouraged, they long for someone to give them an emotional boost and a ray of hope.

Sickness.  Divorce.  Unemployment.  Grief.  Failure.  Loneliness.  These are just some of the real issues that plague people we rub shoulders with in this world.  And we can do something about it!

Encourage people by letting them know you care.  That will remind them they are not alone.

Encourage people by assuring them God is in control.  That will remind them they are in His hands.

The wounded cowboy in that story just wanted someone there by his side.  And plenty of wounded people today want the same thing.  They long for caring people to be with them.  That will be a blessing to their soul in the midst of their pain.

Let's help the hurting today with an act or word of encouragement.