Everyone Has A Story

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! I am beyond excited to live this day! It is new, there is so much opportunity, and I am running into it with hopeful expectation! How about you?! :)

I want to start off by sharing two different stories.

1. Last Saturday I was watching the NCAA baseball Super Regional between Mississippi State and Notre Dame. Notre Dame was up to bat and the broadcaster was talking about the hitter - I am sorry, I do not remember his name. He was talking about what a great kid the hitter is, how he coached youth baseball with him last summer, how the hitter shared his hopes and dreams for this season with him, etc. And suddenly I find myself rooting for this kid I do not know. Suddenly I want him to get a hit...I am living every pitch with him almost as though it were my own kid.

2. Several years ago, while I was still coaching, several members of our staff and I went to serve at a Field Day at the local elementary school. This lady walks up who is disheveled. It appears as though she is on drugs. Thoughts are racing through my mind and they are not positive, encouraging, or honoring. And then the darnedest things happens; one of our coaches recognizes the woman. He and his family had known her several years ago in his hometown. He asks if it is her and she says yes. He then starts talking to her, loving on her. She talks about the struggles of life, the path she has walked, and what has brought her to this point, on this day. And my friend listens and encourages with great compassion. And suddenly, I find myself caring deeply about this woman. 5 minutes earlier I am judging and being critical. Knowing that someone I cared about cared about her and hearing just a little bit of her story changed everything for, and in, me.

We all have a story. There are good parts and not so good parts. There are moments and experiences, successes and failures, tragedies and triumphs, that have brought all of us to this moment right now. We all have a story...and they all matter.

I simply want to encourage all of us with two things this morning:

1. Embrace your life, your story. We all have moments that we would like to forget...and we all have moments that we wish would never end. It is the sum of all our experiences that have made us the perfectly flawed people that we are today. So long as we are breathing, our stories are not over...they are being written every single day. And the people we will be 1 year from today will be drastically different, for good or bad, than the people that we are today. As a person who is better at beating himself up over mistakes, faults, and failures than you ever could be at beating me up, I want to encourage you to take a different path. Let's learn from the mistakes, faults, and failures, however let's not let them define us. It was a moment, not your whole life. Don't waste the lesson, learn and grow from it. Your life has great value, meaning, and purpose. We walk through storms to find our strength, to clarify who we really are. Instead of beating ourselves up, going on and on about our mistakes/faults/failures, lets learn from them, change what needs to be changed, and move forward knowing, to the depths of our souls, that we were created on purpose for a great purpose. And then lets live it! :)

2. Please remember, everyone has a story and that they all matter. In my line of work I have the honor and privilege of meeting so many people from virtually every walk of life. I absolutely love what I get to do...do you want to know why? Because I get to hear and learn people's stories. People are absolutely amazing, if only we will get to know them. I truly believe that we can learn something from everyone. People are a treasure-chest of wisdom and they are a never-ending well of inspiration...but we have to get to know them. Let's drop the judgement and let's do the hard work of really seeking to understand, to get to know people, to come alongside them, and to do life with them. Every single life has value, meaning, and purpose. Everyone has a story...and they all matter!

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! :)

Kev