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!
There is a lot on my heart this morning…
Earlier this week I had a brief, overnight, business trip to Memphis. On Tuesday night I was in my hotel room getting ready to go to bed, scrolling through Facebook and my heart sank…one of my former players had passed away unexpectedly at the age of 47. He leaves behind a wife and two children.
This player was special to me. When I was getting ready to leave the school where I had the privilege of coaching him, he said to me, “My favorite part of practice was always the end. To watch your little boy run and jump into your arms showed me what a dad is supposed to look like.” You see, he had grown up in the inner city, did not have a father or father figure in his life, and it meant the world to him to watch my boy jump into my arms. It touched me when he said it, but it hit completely different when I read the tributes that have been pouring in about him when it said he was, “a father-figure to many.” While I know my boy and I were only a signpost God was using for a brief season of life to keep pointing this incredibly special human being to his purpose, it is quite clear his life mission was firmly established, and he worked tirelessly to fulfill it.
I am reminded of the quote by Scott Adams which says,
“You don’t have to be a ‘person of influence’ to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me.”
You see, the thing I can’t get my mind around is that what my boy and I were doing was just us being us – happy to see each other and loving each other. Not profound to us, incredibly profound to at least one young man. It has me thinking, “What are the things you and I do, just being who we are, that influences the life of another?” The reality is people are always watching. I have said it before; wouldn’t it be great if I could tell you the exact time and day you would influence another life? Can’t you just picture it? You would make sure you look good, you are smiling, you are all positive and encouraging…Wow! Wouldn’t it be so, so good?! But that is not how life works. Yes, people are always watching, however we preach our most powerful sermons through the lives we live at all times and especially during the difficult seasons.
I don’t really have a challenge to wrap this point up, just a reminder; the lives we are living are influencing the lives of all the people around us, whether we realize it or not.
I have a couple of other things I want to touch on briefly…
Today will be a very big, truly historic, day for my institution. There has been so much great, very hard work by so many people. Do you have seasons like this in your life? We all do. The one thing that is really on my heart this morning is to encourage us all to truly enjoy these moments. Yes, it is busy, hectic, and maybe even stressful. Enjoy it! It is a brief season, soon it will be over, and the only thing we will have left are the memories. Let’s make sure they are memories worth sharing!
Finally, before Tuesday night I thought I was going to write Happy Friday all about letting your light shine. Jesus instructed us to let our light shine (Matthew 5:14-16). Instead of sharing my thoughts, I am going to simply share a few quotes that inspire me…perhaps you will find meaning in them too.
“Simply shine your light on the road ahead, and you are helping others to see their way out of darkness.” – Katrina Mayer
“There is no darkness so dense, so menacing, or so difficult that it cannot be overcome by light.” – Vern P. Stanfill
“We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don’t fire cannons to call attention to the shining—they just shine.”
– Dwight L. Moody
“Be aware that who you are and what you have to offer can be a beacon to some lost soul.” – Iyanla Vanzant
“I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” – Unknown
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 special family, and please stay well!
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