Hey
Gang: I believe God really approves of that title! For you middle-agers or older, the name John
Wooden should ring a bell. Perhaps not
so much for his accomplishments on the hardwoods of the basketball courts,
although they were astounding, but what made Coach Wooden a true hero in the
sight of his players and fans.
UCLA
Coach Wooden was a winner! In a recent article that centered on the life
of coach Wooden I found he gave credit for his success to a very interesting
practice that he pounded into his athletes heads and hearts.
Simply stated: Acknowledge and give credit to the one who helped you score the bucket. When one of younger players said, “But Coach there is no time to run over and pat the guy on the back”. Coach Wooden said, “A smile, or a meeting of the eyes, or a nod of favor sends the message that you recognize the opportunity he made possible for you.
He continually drove home the point that victory was dependent on being willing to sacrifice yourself to help one of your team mates excel whether on the hardwoods, gridiron, or in the corporate world. He also made it clear that when you give up yourself to help another you are equally important to the victory as the one who in most cases are the focus of the headlines.
Coach Wooden’s Rule and I Cor. 12 are both rooted in the principle of seeing our need for one another. This lets me use my talents to help build, strengthen, and help to carry out God’s purpose. There are no unimportant people to carry out God’s purpose (vs. 1-11).
Admiral Nimitz was being interviewed by a reporter while standing on the upper deck of an air craft carrier during World War II. The reporter asked, “Who is the most important person on this ship”. His response tended to set the reporter back. He said, “See that seaman down there dumping garbage over board? Right now, he is the most important man on board for, if he does not scatter the garbage properly, fish will begin to follow our ship and the enemy will follow the fish to our doorstep”
Simply stated: Acknowledge and give credit to the one who helped you score the bucket. When one of younger players said, “But Coach there is no time to run over and pat the guy on the back”. Coach Wooden said, “A smile, or a meeting of the eyes, or a nod of favor sends the message that you recognize the opportunity he made possible for you.
He continually drove home the point that victory was dependent on being willing to sacrifice yourself to help one of your team mates excel whether on the hardwoods, gridiron, or in the corporate world. He also made it clear that when you give up yourself to help another you are equally important to the victory as the one who in most cases are the focus of the headlines.
Coach Wooden’s Rule and I Cor. 12 are both rooted in the principle of seeing our need for one another. This lets me use my talents to help build, strengthen, and help to carry out God’s purpose. There are no unimportant people to carry out God’s purpose (vs. 1-11).
Admiral Nimitz was being interviewed by a reporter while standing on the upper deck of an air craft carrier during World War II. The reporter asked, “Who is the most important person on this ship”. His response tended to set the reporter back. He said, “See that seaman down there dumping garbage over board? Right now, he is the most important man on board for, if he does not scatter the garbage properly, fish will begin to follow our ship and the enemy will follow the fish to our doorstep”
A young
lad had made the decision that life was just too tough to go on living and this
day he would end it all. He had cleaned
out his school locker and, as he walked home’ he slipped and books flew in all
directions. As he was frantically trying
to get re-organized, another young man came alongside him and said,” Here let
me help you”. The young man happened to
be a High School star and very popular athlete.
To make
a long story very short, the two became very good friends and both eventually
ended up as successful business leaders.
Point: You just never know how a smile, a word of encouragement or a
gesture of concern for another will impact another.
So my good friends, put this into your think-tank and mull it over as you go through the chores of the day. I suspect if you are looking around there will be opportunities to give a nod, a smile or a few words of encouragement and plant a seed into someone who really needs encouragement today.
So my good friends, put this into your think-tank and mull it over as you go through the chores of the day. I suspect if you are looking around there will be opportunities to give a nod, a smile or a few words of encouragement and plant a seed into someone who really needs encouragement today.
Blessings,
Gramps
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