It wasn’t until college that I figured out that following Jesus didn’t mean always doing the right thing or knowing the right answers in church; it meant a real, unfiltered, and unwavering relationship with Jesus. The way that I came to this revelation was by meeting with people who loved me and wanted to hear how I really was doing, not some filtered version of the truth. This pushed me to be honest with myself, and more importantly to be honest with God. They were consistent in my life every week for years.
I think that this part of my story is a perfect representation of what Hebrews 3 is saying. These people who poured into my life encouraged me to fix my eyes on Jesus and to turn to Him in my struggles. They were there through hard times and built me up, whether I was on a mountaintop or down in the valley. Their message was always the same, “I love you, now look to Jesus.” They encouraged me to keep building my relationship with Jesus and not to be stagnant in my sin. This encouragement spurred me on to be a better version of myself and to follow Jesus more seriously.
Oftentimes, I neglect to encourage people that are in my life. I assume that they probably hear what I have to say all the time, or maybe I don’t do it because it makes me uncomfortable to be vulnerable with people I love. Either way is not a great excuse. The author of Hebrews tells us to encourage one another every day, and doing that will help us turn our eyes away from the deceitfulness of sin and onto the living God.