Monday Morning Minute-January 10, 2011

I LOVE the musical Wicked. If you've never heard of it, it's based off a book that is all about "The Life and Times of the Witches of Oz." It's basically some guy's back story as to how the Witches of Oz became who we know them as.
And although from first hearing it, I have always been head-over-heels in love with the music, there has always been one line that has always bugged me.
It's in a song about halfway through the production and it's a song between Glenda (yes...the good witch) and Elphaba (the name given to the Wicked Witch of the West), who back in the day where roommates and friends.
In this song, Elphaba is telling Glenda all of the great things she can achieve using these special abilities that she has realized she has. And do you know what Glenda tells her?
Glenda tells Elphaba that she is having "delusions of grandeur."
WHAT?! REALLY?! Is what I always think when I hear that line. Her best friend is pouring her heart out to her and instead of being the first one to say "YES YOU CAN!" Glenda instead tells Elphaba that she basically must be insane to think that she can do anything great with her life.
Crazy, huh? But how often is that us? How often, when a friend comes to us with this amazing thing that God has laid on her heart, do we play it down because with our human understanding it just seems "too big?" How often do we see only the person before us, instead of the God that is behind him or her, giving them the ideas they are presenting to you?
In the Bible, over half of the New Testament is made up books that are categorized as "epistles," which is just a fancy name for "letters." And do you know what the majority of those letters are about?
They are writers, such as Peter, James and John, writing to various fledgling church to ENCOURAGE THEM. To tell them not to lose heart during times of struggle. To tell them to stand strong in their faith. To tell them they are not alone and that God loves them.
If God took the time to have his disciples write letters to encourage his people 2,000 years ago, shouldn't it still be important for his people to continue to encourage one another?
Try this...pick one person a day and encourage them. It can be a quick email, phone call or text message. It can be an unexpected card they find amongst all the bills in their mail box or even just a comforting word in passing.
You'll find that not only will their day be better, but so will yours.