Great Lesson

Last evening my wife and I went to watch our local high school boys and girls in a track meet against a rival school. This is one of those schools that no matter what you want to beat them in any sport. We went because we enjoy watching track, the effort, the fact that you can encourage (yell at) the athletes and they can actually hear you and you can interact with the athletes during and after the meet. We also went because we wanted to see and encourage some of the students who attend our church, some we have just gotten to know and some of the girls I coached in volleyball last fall.

Bottom line is the boys won, the girls lost so as far as our rival was concerned it was a mixed bag. As of interacting and encouraging it was very positive. But the coolest thing was a powerful lesson that one of the young men taught during the meet. A young man who attends our youth group is a very good runner and he dominated the first two races he ran and the relay he was in as well. Then the 3200 meter run came (that is about 2 miles for the uninformed), you knew he would dominate again. But instead he hung back and ran with the next 2 runners from our school. He was talking to them the whole way, encouraging them and urging them to run harder and faster than they normally do. The 3 of them were running together, and away from the other school as the race continued. Even the starter and race official asked them after several laps if they were going to run as a pack the whole way, there answer was "we are a team". Sure enough when the last lap came the pace picked up put the faster runner stayed with the group pushing them forward. As they came down the last stretch he allowed one of the other two to go ahead and he kept urging him to run faster and allowed him to win the race. The three of them finished 1,2,3 and well ahead of the other school.

What a picture of teamwork and of sacrificing self for the sake of the whole. Another note, the boys were only ahead by 2 points going into that race, so this action sealed the team victory.

Here's hoping I can encourage and urge someone forward to more than they thought possible.