One of the core values of my church, Community Church @ Western Branch, Chesapeake, VA, is: “Speak Life.” It amazes me what a word of encouragement can do for someone. It may seem like its of little import to you but… the person receiving it?? It can be life-changing!
Most of us have heard the story of the boy who was on his way home from school one day with ALL of his books in hand. A neighborhood girl passed him as he walked toward his house and told him that she appreciate his help in Math class today… that he was really smart. The boy shared later with his parents that he’d planned to go home and commit suicide that afternoon cuz nobody at school liked him. But the girl’s comment had changed everything and literally “saved” his life!
Our words can have just as much impact on our players’ lives. You never know when a word of encouragement can lift someone out of the dumps. I had occasion on Monday to see a boy “light up” when I spoke to him at the end of the workout.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I’ve been riding over at 6:30 am to a local school on Mondays to help them install the Delaware Wing T offense. This past Monday was the last one of the spring. I had noticed that the guy they had working at right tackle was very unsure of himself back in April when we started. He lacked aggressiveness because he lacked self-confidence. As the Mondays went by, I was drawn to this young man and kept explaining things to him. He was showing improvement each week. I pulled him aside on the way in off the field this week (because it was our last workout), shook his hand and said to him, “I’m very proud of you!” He looked at me a bit quizzically. I followed with, “Yes, verrrrry proud of you! You have shown soooooooo much improvement from the beginning till now. You are going to be a “beast” this fall!”
Wellllllll…. he lit up like a Christmas tree. I think he “floated” to the locker room. He had a big ole smile on his face and a giddyup in his step. I hope that I made his day. And, perhaps, his whole season! I was glad that God had given me the nudge to go over and speak to this young man and bless him.
Make time to encourage your players; your wife; your kids. They get enough negatives that slipping in a positive comment will do wonders for their self-esteem. We could save a lot of money on trophies and certificates if the people in charge would just take the time to let the kids they work with know how much they are appreciated. Speak “LIFE!!!”
