The room was crowded last night, I mean A LOT of people. The kind of party where I open the door and look around and say Hmm, who can I hang with? The I-just-wanna-go-home syndrome. But I persevered and found my familiar faces and hung close! Gayl, Tara, Kate, Andrew, Carol, thanks for letting me hang with you kids! The Five Minute Friday party was interrupted when host, Kate Motaung, took the mic and announced the word, immediately I knew where I’d go with it but I shut my Kindle and fell sound asleep with the sound of hockey (Stanley Cup final play-off’s) in the background. GO PENGUINS!
00:00 (My carpal tunnel is having a fit this morning so there will be keyboard error, I’m sure!)
I was a CHEERleader in junior high – I loved it. I loved yelling, encouraging the players and fans. I knew how to throw my voice deep in order to not get hoarse, yes, they teach you things like that. Back in my day CHEERleading was just CHEER-leading. We had certain cheer-poems we shouted, like, 2 bits-4 bits-6 bits a dollar, all for Lake Worth, STAND UP AND HOLLER! We didn’t strut around like sexy icons who don’t sweat – we worked at what we did and we were good!
Did you know that in our faith walk here on earth, as we grope about in our earth-suits, there is a crowd of people CHEERing us on? The KJV calls them a cloud of witnesses. I call them heaven’s CHEERleaders. My mom is one. My grandma is one. Recently, Leo, became one. Oh yes, my Aunt Lou and my Aunt Marge are there with pom-pom’s and high-five’s and backward flips! They are CHEERing us on.
Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Hebrews 12.1(MSG)
You can do this!
It won’t be long!
Just a little while longer!
Give me a J…give me an E…give me an S…give me a U…give me another S! What do you have? JESUS! What? JESUS! Say it louder!
J E S U S!
He is our greatest, fearless, magnificent CHEERleader and not only Him? He made sure to leave us with His holy Spirit to walk beside us. To teach us. To comfort us. To CHEER us on.
I sure pray He walks with you!
05:00
That’s one of my favorite portions about the cloud of witnesses we have. And…..we lived in Lake Worth for 6 years! Technically, we lived in Boynton Beach but our church (appointment) was in Lake Worth right on Dixie Highway not far from LW High School. Crazy! 😉
The Salvation Army on Dixie Highway? OF COURSE I know where that is. LW/WPB, my stomping grounds for 30 years!!!!!!!!!!
Amen Susan. So beautiful. So encouraging. We have power and life in us. I cheer this with you today. Be blessed in all you do.
You are the cheerleader of faith!
This was meant for me today. I am about to do something that the Lord wants me to do. The excitement is not there but it is something I am qualified to do. So I really needed that cheer leader encouragement. I know Jesus will be there with me every step of the way. So I must get on with the task. YES JESUS!!!!!!!!!
Prayed for you on the front stoop this morning as I watched Sam do his morning round-about!!!
Love this Scripture! Great encouragement. This Scripture means a lot to me and many of my friends who’ve lost someone dear to them.
I haven’t grown up in a cheerleader culture…too wild for the more sedate (Brit-)Kiwis and Germans, I think lol! Although, I suppose we do have the Maori haka (war dance) at the start of rugby matches…but that’s reserved for men.
The War Dance? I think we should learn that and do some serious binding and casting-out. Amen?
I am always “listening” for the cloud of witnesses! I imagine the big sliding glass door of heaven opening and there they are! Cheering, clapping, trying to get closer to the front to see…our Father is so good to us.
I love the image of heaven’s glass-sliding door!!!
Great minds Susan! We wrote in similar veins…
I tried out for cheerleader in jr. high, but was too geeky to actually win.
Loved your post!
Susan, as usual you have such an encouraging post reminding us of our “cloud of witnesses” cheering us on our journey. Thank you for your cheerleading abilities for us! Blessings to you, sister. xo
And, now your Mama is one of those cheerleaders!
What a great analogy for our great cloud of witnesses! Love this!
Yes’m…our CHEERleaders!
The Holy Spirit; our comforter indeed….I just wrote a sermon about that….preaching this weekend. Oh and yes Jesus is the ultimate cheerleader. Love that. I’m also thankful for those cheerleaders of faith that have gone before me; my grandpa Sam, my grandma Bess, my friend Chewy, my friend Ben and so many others. And by the way, you can always hang with us!
I look for you when I enter the room, Tara!
I love the idea of God cheering for me. Thanks for the inspiration.
Not only HIM, but all the saints gone on before us. Woop-de-doo!
I love this- it’s so encouraging to think of all those people cheering us on to finish the race.
I know! Personal cheerleaders!
Love this reminder!
XO
Tammy
😉
It was this week that I heard the “crowd of witnesses” were the ones who have gone before. Now you say the same thing…I need to do more study but that is a beautiful thought that our loved ones are watching, cheering us on.
And yes! J-E-S-U-S! Shouting it loud and clear!
I hear ya, sister!
I love this! One of my favorite images from Scripture is when Jesus stands to His feet as Stephen is dying. Of course I don’t know for sure, but to me it’s like He just couldn’t contain Himself. He was pulling SO HARD for that dear friend of His to endure to the very end. I like to think that He does the same for us in our toughest moments.
Marie, HE DOES. I just know He does. xo
That verse keeps coming up for me of late from many different avenues. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.
Thanks for visiting, Jodi.
Amen! He’s cheering us on and I can hear the echos in the wind and see his ‘pom poms’ in the birds’ feathers. :).
ooooh, you knew I’d love that, Anita, my fellow birder!
Great post, Susan!
Man, I could use the cheers…because God sent us another waif, a baby Bullmastiff who can barely stand. But she’s drinking, and eating a bit, and every time I make eye contact she wags her tail.
Barb named he ‘Strawberry Hill’, because she likes strawberry Pedialyte. Her paws are as big as her head, and her legs are long and gawky.
But the unspoken question in her eyes…’Will You Save Me?
Who could say no?
Oh my word, Andrew, how do you do that? I pray she saves YOU and gives you HOPE. xo
Susan, I needed that. Thank you. I do believe that my family up above watch over me, to think of them CHEER-ing, I can hear them as if they were right behind me. My Grandma Brittain “Christy Lue”(I never cared for my middle name being used, however, the way she said it I don’t mind, my Grandpa Ward & Harlod and just 7 months ago my dad. “Christy, you can do anything you put your mind to / no question is dumb if you never ask you will never know and the worst answer you can get is ‘no'” I know they are all proud of me and I know they are still CHEER-ing me on.
God Bless you!
Christy Lue, I am certain of it!
Great post! Loved your description at the beginning, so many luscious details!
Thank you Helen…luscious – what a delicious word!