Ever so often we meet people who help us see through our self-doubt and challenge us to dare to do the impossible. They are a special brand of people called ‘encouragers.’
We work with these people, attend church with them or even live with them. Sometimes, our encouragers are people we’ve never met physically, people who nourish us through their vlogs/blogs/social media posts.
I was prompted to write this because yesterday, I learnt of the tragic passing of my former A-Level French teacher, Mr Maroun Mourani, due to COVID-19. Apart from his infectious, larger than life personality, the one memory of him that stands out the most was when I was on the verge of dropping French because I just felt so dumb. I felt like everyone else was miles ahead of me and I just couldn’t keep up.
A scrawny 18-year-old me wearily walked up the stairs on my way to the office to change my subject choices and guess who was at the top of the stairs on lunch duty, Mr Mourani. Long story short, he asked me where I was going and I had to come clean.
Five minutes later, I turned around and walked back down the stairs and abandoned all thoughts of dropping the subject. I didn’t eat magic mushrooms overnight and suddenly become ‘clever’ in French class but I walked away from that conversation with the thought, ‘Mr Mourani said I’m doing ok, so I’m just going to carry on.’
That’s the power of an encourager. They give you wings to fly when life has knocked the wind out of you. They cheer you on from the side lines even though they have nothing to gain from your success. They walk alongside you when the road is tough and friends are scarce.
Today, I’m thankful for all the Mr Mouranis (past and present) who intervene just at the right moment and stop us from sinking into despair.
P.S. Please encourage someone today. You never know what cliff edge people are standing on right now, the abyss of hopelessness they’re staring into. A simple ‘I believe in you’ can rescue them just like Mr Mourani did for me 11 years ago. #BelikeMrMourani
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Father, thank you for the encouragers you have brought my way to rescue and strengthen me. Thank You that I don’t have to journey through life on my own.
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Unvarnished 