Are You in Someone’s Corner?

“I’m standing on your balcony.”

That’s what Ms. Beverly used to say to me. To be honest, I never figured out when she coined that phrase or why, but I knew exactly what she meant. She had my back. She was praying for me. She’d be cheering for me. She was in my corner.

I’m not sure what granted me such a special place in Ms. Beverly’s heart, but she most certainly had a soft spot for me. She knew me as a small child, helping my parents plant our little church, but then she moved away. Almost a decade later, however, she returned amid my shaky teenage years and again became involved in our church. I like to think Jesus knew how much I would need her.

To tell you my relationship with the church suffered when I was a teenager would be an understatement. Undoubtedly, my greatest strength and, in turn, my greatest weakness is my passion. I am stubborn and hardheaded. When I get an idea, there’s no point in telling me I can’t follow through with it; that only fuels my fire.

When I’m running hard after Jesus and I’m in the lane of his will, this attribute of my personality is my greatest strength. In contrast, however, being all in has caused me to fall flat on my face more than a few times. I tend to either succeed big or mess up big. My teenage years were filled with primarily the latter. Ms. Beverly didn’t care. She was for me. Even when I risked it big, even when I messed up, I knew she would have a glimmer in her eye, still proud of my zeal.

She wasn’t just saying those words; she really was in my corner, cheering me on. She offered her love and approval to me in a way that felt reckless and limitless. It felt a lot like Jesus’s love. Sometimes, as a newly married pastor’s wife, I long to knock on her door and admit to her that I’m messing up. There’s something so sweet about being able to admit our biggest failures with no fear of rejection. Encouragement is powerful.

The Cornerman

In his Bible study If, Mark Batterson explains the role of the “cornerman” in a boxing match, and he names famous boxer Muhammad Ali’s cornerman. While none of us would know this man by name, Ali’s success is at least partially credited to this man whose support of Ali inevitably influenced his career. The analogy stuck with me. How many people in our lives could use someone in their corner? How many people need a Ms. Beverly? Someone who beams with pride even in the middle of our mistakes. Someone who’s in our corner, cheering us on.

A few years ago, at her funeral, I had the privilege to hear how Ms. Beverly had been in the corners (stood on the balconies) of many, many others. She made it her life’s work to leave a legacy of encouragement. She invested her time and energy into the success of others. Person after person told stories of her reckless belief in their ability to do great things. If that’s not the most valuable way to spend our lives, I’m not sure what is. People like Ms. Beverly change the world.

How Do We Become the Cornerman?

If we’re starting anything like Mrs. Beverly, I can assure you it begins with prayer. Start praying for the people God has already placed right in front of you. Ask him to give you a love for them that is unreasonable and undeserved. As that love develops, tell them about it. Cheer them on. Call out the good you see in their lives. When they make a mistake, when they fall flat on their face, when they disagree with or disappoint you, lavish your grace freely. Be the one with ice cream in hand and pride in your eyes on their hardest day.

Discipleship seems to be a buzzword in the church these days. We all crave it, and yet we can’t seem to define it. We aren’t sure how or where to start. Maybe our best bet is to hop into someone’s corner. As we enter this new year full of goals and expectations, perhaps our greatest accomplishment in the next months will be what someone else does. Perhaps our success will come through cheering on another in their accomplishments.

Whose corner can you stand in today? Who needs to hear how proud you are? Who could use an extra helping of encouragement in this season? Ask God to give you his eyes to see the people right in front of you.

Hannah Pannell is a sassy, Southern coffee lover who spends most of her days with a classroom full of little people. Hannah loves serving in the local church where her husband is an associate minister. She is passionate about gathering her people around the table over good food and even better conversation. Hannah blogs at thissweetlybrokenlife.com.

Photograph © Vince Fleming, used with permission