Entry No. 27 – WALKING ON WATER, PART II GOD USES THE LEAST LIKELY TO WALK ON WATER I met so many young people over the past 15 years. Some came and went without me really getting to know them. Others became friendly enough that I knew their names and would say hello if we met each other on the street. Others would become so special to me; they hold a piece of my heart. As I mentioned before, I was mostly an observer for many, many years. Between 2006 and 2007, I started to feel like I was more accepted into the kids’ lives. They were starting to trust me. Some of my favorite moments were when I would be sitting at the sign-in table and they would be gathered around joking and laughing. I wasn’t necessarily a contributor to the conversation, but they were comfortable enough with me to let me be a part of their circle. Eventually, I was able to talk with them and share with them. I began to encourage them in decisions they needed to make; or I would be a listening ear when life was challenging. As I became familiar with them, I could tell when one of them was struggling with something. Sometimes the only thing I could do was pray for them. Soon, I was spending most of my time praying for each of them. God changed my heart in a tremendous way through these kids. I have learned that the ones I start out liking the least end up being very special to me. There are a handful of boys that God used to teach me this lesson. The lesson I learned is that God seeks out the misfits, the ragamuffins, the insecure, the angry, etc. He showed me that what you see on the outside isn’t necessarily what’s on the inside. There was this boy whom I met when he was a fifth grader. He was on my husband’s fifth-grade basketball team and he went to the Sheridan Japanese School with my son Ethan. He is a year older than Ethan. I couldn’t stand him (sorry to say, but it’s the truth). He had an attitude that was as wide as the Columbia River. If you told him to go right, he’d go left. If you told him to stand, he’d sit. And he’d argue with you until you were exhausted about why he was right and you were wrong. He had this amazing expression that he would do with his face when he thought you had just said the dumbest thing he had ever heard. The Bible says to pray for those whom you dislike, so I started to pray for this boy. Slowly, God started to show me the diamond in the rough. He started to show me this incredible person that is so fiercely loyal to those who have his love and respect. I don’t know when it happened, there wasn’t a magic moment, but I found myself loving this boy as much as I loved my own children. The most amazing part is that God did not change the boy, He changed me. I know this boy could feel my love and trusted that it was genuine. Through this unconditional love, I earned his love and respect in return. This boy is an incredible athlete. God has gifted him with a physical athleticism that is as rare as winning the lottery. His competitive spirit was unmatched. That competitive spirit was also a double-edged sword. A lot of people weren’t impressed with his attitude and they judged him based on what they saw on the football field and on the basketball court. People can be really cruel. But I knew him in a way they didn’t and I loved him. By the time this boy was a junior, it was obvious that he had the talent to become a professional athlete. I would tell him so, and he would give me that you-just-said-something-dumb look and shake his head no. I believed it so much that I would often say, “When you are playing in the NBA and making millions of dollars, remember who loved you, and come back and help me build my recreation center.” Again, he would just shake his head as if he didn’t believe that would ever happen. I have watched this boy struggle with the responsibility of having an entire town looking to him to do great things. I know that he does not want to carry that burden. I believe he is afraid that if he fails, he is letting all these people down. It’s not true, but it’s a real fear. I don’t know if he will really play for the NBA or not, but I do know that God has a purpose and a plan for this boy and he is going to do great things. I know that when God has a plan for you, if you trust Him, you can’t mess it up. You just have to keep your eyes on Him and don’t let fear and doubt make you stumble. You will walk on water – you will do the impossible. Here’s an interesting twist to this story. I wrote the majority of this story on Friday night. I did not know at that time this boy and his college basketball team would be playing for a spot in March Madness. They lost by one point, but I heard it was a great game and this boy had his name mentioned a few times. No matter what happens in his professional life, I am proud of this boy for the man he has become; I will love him and I will pray for him until the day I die.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 14:09:25 +0000
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