One of the more surprising lines of scripture that I have come across is Hebrews 3:13, which simply states: “Keep encouraging one another as long as the day lasts.”
Perhaps it is just me, but I find that short line both striking and rather moving in its simplicity: it is not about God or warning us to pray or about anything obviously related to religion. Rather, it gives a simple message about how we should engage with each other.
I have had the power of this simple truth brought home to me during an LRP – Long-Range Pilgrimage – through the winter, which took me along Germany’s Jakobsweg (the German part of the Camino de Santiago), limping into Trier before reaching the border with France and continuing southwards towards Le Puy-en-Velay. So often, just when I have been feeling down or struggling, at that very point I have had a stranger offer an encouraging comment, a token of goodwill or a hand on the shoulder. The effect cannot be underestimated – it is incredibly galvanising and restorative.
