Fans

Fans are people who sit in the stands and cheer on their teams.  Some fans sit in movie theaters and dress like the characters in the movies that they are about to see.  Other fans buy every album of their favorite musician and dance and cheer at their concerts.  Fans come in all ethnicities, ages, and creeds.  The one thing that they all have in common is that they cheer their favorite team, person, movie, artist to do their absolute best. 

Some people make fun of fans.  Being a Duke fan can generate a lot of criticism, but when I see their fans at the games, I totally understand.  These young people have some of the highest GPAs and SAT scores in the country.  They paint their faces, bodies, put on wigs, camp out, and create cheers for their teams.  They are the definition of fanatic.  They go through all of that effort to cheer their sports teams.  I wonder what our world would be like if every individual was a fan for someone else.

Think about it.  We cheer for those who have already attained some success in their area of expertise, but we complain and stay silent about the mundane tasks that people do for us every day around us.  It’s those tasks that need some cheerleaders.  They need someone to give a word of encouragement or to applaud when they do something that will make a difference much later in life.  We have a society that is so quick to point out the wrongs everyone is doing; it’s time we change that mindset and have a society that applauds the right things people are doing.

Encouragement is so needed in our world around us, and it is not used very often in our lives.  The Bible is full of characters that are fans.  The disciples had Jesus and each other.  Esther had her uncle.  Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego had each other and Daniel.  Mary and Joseph had each other.  Ruth had Naomi.  David had Jonathan.  When people stand up and guide us for the right we do and not just point out our flaws, work gets done.

It’s a reminder for me as I go back to school tomorrow.  I don’t need to look for my fan.  I need to be a fan for others.  When I’m busy doing for others, then I worry less about myself.  Besides, the big issues occurring in our country will only be resolved with small acts growing to halt their progress.  May we all begin to start the new direction of being a fan for someone and watch the progress of someone else grow.