As a freshman in high school Billy wanted desperately to play football. He practiced with the team every day. And every day Coach Mitchel would try to find a spot for Billy.
But Billy was short, overweight, and slow. He didn’t look like a football player, and he couldn’t run like one. His teammates nicknamed him “Turtle.”
Billy’s insightful dad talked with Coach Mitchell. He told the coach it was important to draw out the best in every player, to help them develop to their fullest potential.
Billy’s dad also told the coach that he recognized Billy didn’t look like a football player. But he tried to envision what his son would look like in a few years when he was a senior after Billy grew and developed with good guidance and coaching.
Then he asked, “Coach, can you see Billy with an all-American jersey covering his broad shoulders and narrow waist?”
That conversation changed Coach Mitchell. He said, “I learned to see people as they might be not as they were or are…to see people’s strengths rather than focus on their weaknesses.”
In the following four years, Coach Mitchell spent extra time with Billy. All the while, he pictured him with that all-American football jersey. And you know what? By the time Billy was a senior, he’d become a star football player and an all-American!
Who’s the Billy in your life? You’re convinced, right now, that they’ll never trust God and never amount to much.
Begin praying regularly for that person. Ask God to help you picture her as she might be when she trusts Him.
Then reach out to her and draw out her best. You’ll help her develop to her fullest potential, and you’ll demonstrate the love of Christ. As you show His love to others, He’ll reveal Himself to you and to them. You’ll both become all He wants you to be.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
By Vonette Bright
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