Someone With Skin On

Well, now, friend, come on over and sit a spell before that wide‑eyed possum under the front porch decides you look like someone who might share a biscuit. We are about to step into a truth more reliable than a wood stove in the dead of winter. First Thessalonians 5:11 tells us, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” That is Bible talk for, “Do not be stingy with kindness. Somebody needs what you have.”

Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, often tells how, when he was a boy, a Sunday School teacher named Mrs. McClung pulled him aside after class. She looked him straight in the eye and said, “Robert, I believe God has something special for you to do.” She did not know he would become a pastor. She did not know he would lead a major church. She simply recognized that a young boy needed a real, flesh‑and‑blood encourager to breathe hope and speak life into his heart

Jeffress says that moment planted a seed that shaped his calling.

And that phrase still sticks with him, you know, a real, live voice with a heartbeat behind it. Because as much as we love Scripture, sometimes we need a real human who shows up like a faithful hound dog sittin’ on the porch waitin’ for you to come home. We need someone who looks us in the eye and says, “I see you. You belong.”

Mrs. McClung had no idea her encouragement would play a part in foreshadowing the direction of Jeffress’ life. She was just doin’ what the Holy Spirit had nudged her to do. That’s how encouragement works. It’s rarely flashy. It’s rarely loud. It’s usually just somethin’ small, simple, and sacred.

And, friend, God wants to use you in just the same way. Before this day is over, He might put someone in your path who feels lonelier than a lil’ woodpecker ‘a-tryin’ to get to work on a metal pole. Maybe they need a prayer. Maybe they just need a smile. Maybe they just need a word that lifts them up off the ground like a mama hen scooping up her chicks.

Do it. Jump in. Be someone with skin on for somebody who desperately needs it.

Father, open my eyes to the people who need encouragement today. Give me courage to speak, compassion to listen, and a heart ready to build others up. Use me to reflect Your love in simple, powerful ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now, friend, as you saunter right on back into your day like a determined little raccoon carryin’ off a treasure he found in the trash can, you can know that encouragement doesn’t have to be big to be mighty. A small word can shift the direction of a whole life. A simple act can echo into eternity. And you never know whose story God is about to rewrite because you showed up with kindness and skin on.

With joy,

Gwen