A Nod, a Smile a Word of Encouragement – a Seed

 

Tuesday, December 6, 2011    (This wouldn't fly in today's culture!)

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  For the body is not one member, but many”. (I Cor. 12:13-14).

Hey Gang: Legendary UCLA coach Wooden was a winner.  In a recent article that centered on the life of coach Wooden I found that he gave credit for his success to a very interesting practice that he pounded into his athletes’ heads and hearts.
 
Simply stated it was to acknowledge and give credit to the one who helped them 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.  To that 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 teammates 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.  ‘Let 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 overboard? Right now, he is the most important man on board for, if he does not does not scatter it properly, fish will begin to follow our ship and the enemy will follow the fish to our doorstep’.

Soooo,  my good friends put this in 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 to someone who really needs encouragement today.

Blessings,

Gramps