Sometimes They Just Need a Hug & Communion: Unity of Believers

The past two days were a whirlwind of activity.

Saturday, I spent the day with my high school athletes at a track meet in Mannheim. It was a chilly, rainy day. On days like these its not common for an athlete to perform at their best. Many of my athletes, first-time track athletes at that, were easily frustrated at their inability to perform well. One athlete in particular was extremely hard on herself. As a Senior, she expects to always perform at a certain level, but this meet she couldn't even reach her performance from a year previous. My heart broke for her. As a former athlete, I have been in her shoes. She wants so badly to do well, and yet that day just wasn't her day. After her last event, I went to speak with her. I didn't push her to talk, but just waited to listen. After a minute or so she finally spilled. Everything, all her worries and fears, came rushing out in tears. I immediately gave her a hug. God gave me the exact words she needed to hear. Words of encouragement and reassurance. She started to perk up, and by the end of the meet was back to her normal self.

It gives me such joy to see joy in a child. I think this is the reason I enjoy working with these students so much. The moment that they learn something (especially when you have been teaching it over and over for weeks, anyone who is a teacher or a mother knows what i mean) that moment when it finally clicks, is worth every second it took to teach them. Even if they have some pain and trouble in the process, its worth it in the end. And lets all be honest, all of us have times when we just need a hug.



Today was Communion Sunday at the chapel service I attend. Our Chaplain discussed 1 Corinthians 11:17-29. One thing he said that I found especially interesting, was the definition of Communion: the act or instance of sharing. Our Chaplain described it not only as a time of remembrance, but as a time of sharing with fellow believers. The kind of sharing that unifies us and gives us fellowship. Communion is not only about getting right with God, its about fellowship with other believers on such a level that you feel like a stronger family because of it. Because you all know that you have a hope for the future, and that all of you have this one strengthening bond. The bond that says, " For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 11: 26) He will return!