The shoulders we stand on
I’m feeling particularly grateful for three specific people right now. I’ll keep their names out of this blog, but that doesn’t take away from the gratitude I’m feeling.
Three guys, about my age, said “yes” (again) to volunteer coaching fifth grade basketball. I’m sure there are any number of things these three guys could be doing instead, but they opted to spend an hour and a half two days a week and more time each weekend coaching and mentoring these ten- and eleven-year-old boys.
Their first practice was this week, and I showed up just in time to see something remarkable. At the end, there was a scrimmage and the team they were playing had a player who was clearly new to the game. On a couple of occasions, this player forgot to dribble as he ran with the ball (or he may not have known that dribbling was required).
At the first instance, whistles blew and the game stopped. All these coaches came over and taught him how to properly move with the ball. They set an example for the boys on the court. So, the next time this child had the ball he made the same mistake. What happened next warmed my heart. The kids stopped the game themselves, and a couple of them went over to teach him how to bounce the ball while he walked. No ridicule, no teasing, no shame. They taught the game.
These coaches weren’t just teaching basketball, they were teaching how to take care of each other.
If it weren’t for these coaches, these kids may not have had the chance to learn first-hand how to help a peer in such a kind way.
It reminded me that all of us in many and various ways stand on the shoulders of those who came before us; that is, we are the products of the people we have encountered. All of us can likely tell the stories of those who taught us lessons; our best teachers, coaches, pastors, mentors, the numerous people who have had an impact on us that we may not have noticed in the moment, but we learned so much from.
It reminded me that in order for our society to function, we must not only stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, but we must position ourselves to be the shoulders on which the next generation can stand. Even if you yourself don’t have or didn’t have kids of your own, the contributions we all make to our community, to our church, to our own faith are the bedrock on which the next generation will build.
That basketball practice was yet another way that extravagant generosity can play out in our world. These men sharing in the joy of sports while also modeling loving care for neighbor was the best kind of generosity I saw that day. And I needed to see it.
I doubt that fifth grader will suit up for the Hawkeye basketball team because of this lesson, I doubt any of those kids will. But they are better people because these three men showed them how to care for someone else.
We are all the shoulders on which others will someday stand. All of us have more influence in our world than we ever will realize. Don’t miss an opportunity to be gracious, to be generous, to live in trust. You may be the only loving presence someone sees on a given day. Don’t miss the opportunity to embody the love of God. Someone needs it.
Thanks, coaches!
Audrey Keeney
Thanks for this message. Terrific example of how we are to respond and help each other.
Bonnie Amacher
That is the perfect message for the state of our country.
Bonnie Amacher
That is the perfect message for today’s state of the country.