My Onesiphorus

About two months ago, I read an article called “Pit Crew Heroes,” that talked about the importance of the pit crew in auto racing. It pointed out that even though the driver is often the one who gets most of the fame and the glory, it’s the pit crew, working behind the scenes, that is often the difference between winning and losing.

The article goes on to talk about one of the members of the Apostle Paul’s pit crew. His name was Onesiphorus, a mouthful indeed. But despite his hard-to-pronounce name, Paul mentions him in 1 Timothy 1:16. It reads: "May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day. You know very well in how many ways he helped me."

As you can see, Onesiphorus, though widely unrecognized, was important to Paul’s ministry. He encouraged and inspired Paul to continue doing the work he was called by God to do. Without Onesiphorus, Paul would not have been as effective in the ministry as he turned out to be.

The truth is that if we were to look behind every successful person, we’d find an Onesiphorus there, waiting in the wings to inspire, encourage, and refresh. Somebody whose absence would have made the difference, and whose presence makes all the difference.

Who is your Onesiphorus? Maybe’s it’s a friend, a neighbor, or a relative, somebody who’s always there to help inspire you to be the best you can be. Maybe it’s your sister with whom you share a special bond. Or your father who was always there to give you guidance. Maybe it’s even your child, who always encourages you to follow your dreams and hold on to your innocence.

Tomorrow being Mother’s Day, I wanted to honor my Onesiphorus, the person who has always been there for me no matter. She’s the one person who never gives me her own advice, but instead, always points me back to Jesus. She is my rock and my guiding light, and today, I honor her for her strength, her courage, and her wisdom. She is truly my angel, the one person I know will always understand.

So Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, and particularly my mom, for everything you are and everything you do. Thank you for being our Onesiphoruses.

God bless,
J.W.