The man’s eyes showed a twinkle as he replied, “I think I can help!” He explained that in his younger years, he played minor league baseball and even attended major league spring training several times. For the next year, Saturday mornings found the boy and his experienced mentor discussing and practicing baseball.
The next spring, that young player easily secured a spot on the high school team. He explained how the man’s encouragement and instruction made the difference in his development.
Each of us can identify similar situations. One experience of mine comes from a sermon that I heard many years ago. I cannot list all the Scripture passages, but I will never forget the message as the preacher described how the Lord chooses to use His children in different ways. He gave examples of Christians whose lives were like fine stationery and how they eloquently shared the Gospel in prominent ways. Conversely, he compared most of our Christian lives to common newsprint. He encouraged that even if style and sophistication were not present, our lives could still be very influential in spreading the news of God’s love.
We often tell our students that God has a purpose for each one of them. As parents and teachers, our job is to encourage these young people to seek and be true to whatever the Lord’s plan is for their lives.