Never in my entire life have I been encouraged or recruited to enter a beauty pageant. I’d like to think it’s because I can’t twirl fire batons, but I suspect that’s not really the reason. And yet, when I was a child, there was a man in my life who called me “Miss America” nearly every time he saw me. He even sometimes broke into the theme song, crooning, “There she is – Miss America … there she is, my ideal.”
His name was Pete Price and he and his wife lived across the street from us. An older, retired couple, the Prices came over to our house frequently and we often sat on their front porch on summer evenings. I always left Pete’s presence feeling quite more beautiful than the mirror told me I was – a freckle-faced, chunky tomboy with crooked teeth and a haircut that looked like an Egyptian sphinx.
One of the saddest days of my life was the day I sat on the curb in front of our house and watched paramedics carry Pete’s lifeless body from his house. My biggest fan had died of a heart attack and I knew that no one would ever call me “Miss America” again after that.
But God is good, and as I look back, I see that He has always sprinkled my life with people who saw more in me than I could see in myself. I think of Mr. Klueh, a fabulous tennis player and coach who always seemed to notice the backhands I hit in the court, not how many I missed. The generous sharing of his time and talent opened up a lifetime of wonderful tennis experiences for me.
And Cindy, my roommate and tennis teammate at Auburn, who lived out the genuine Christian life before me with such honesty and consistency that I was irresistibly drawn to the God she loved, in spite of the fact that I had long before placed religion, church and the Bible in my “useless and irrelevant” file. She didn’t focus on the sin in my life back then, but rather on what I could become if I placed my life in the hands of Jesus Christ. She showed me the path of life.
And Edith, my 88-year-old buddy who is the best cheerleader I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve considered buying her pompoms and a megaphone, but she doesn’t need them – her gentle and wise encouragement speaks to my often weary soul with great power and clarity. She loves Jesus and shows me that it is possible to joyfully hit the tape running as we finish this life.
And there are others – some of you are reading this right now. You may not even know the profound effect you have on my life as I watch you express your love for God and as I hungrily devour the encouragement you give to me. Your words of affirmation soak into my heart like water on parched ground and you help me see myself as God does.
When you do that – and when I do that for you – we powerfully reflect the heart of Jesus Christ, whose passion is that we might fully experience the Father’s best plans for us. This world is often quick to discourage, deflate and defeat us. Let’s be different: Hebrews 10:24 – “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”