The Sacred Gift of Believing in Others
by Randy Gage
I was 15 years old, when I heard the keys jangling and then the lock turning in the door to my jail cell. A blond man I had never seen before entered. His name was Baxter Richardson, and he was the father of my best friend’s girlfriend. I had a hard time believing the message he came to deliver. He told me…
“You don’t belong in here. You’re capable of great things.”
Baxter was a teacher. And his daughter had begged him to intercede and see if he could help me. When he told me that I was capable of great things, I thought he was delusional. I thought if he knew anything about me, he would know I was a teenage alcoholic and drug addict who had made a lot of very poor decisions. But that wasn’t the teenager he saw…
He said, “I spoke with your teachers. They told me you would skip class for weeks at a time, then come in an ace a test. Your reading comprehension levels are above college level. You don’t belong in here. You’re capable of great things.” Funny thing: I so desperately wanted to believe him…I did.
That’s the power you possess, when you believe in another.
Remember the post about Matt Kramer? Matt’s mom got a request to come to school for an urgent meeting. The guidance counselor was exasperated, because Matt insisted that he wanted to drop out of school and become a rock star. The counselor asked Matt’s mom to talk Matt out of his crazy, unpractical dream. She refused, because she believed he would do it. And he did.
There is probably someone in your life who doesn’t recognize their own greatness. They have the potential to do something epic and extraordinary. But they don’t quite have the belief they need to pull it off.
But they’re sooooo close, that just one person believing in them would push them across the line…
And the most sacred gift you can offer them is standing up for them. To not only believe in them but let them know you believe in them. Even before they believe in themselves. Will you do that for someone today?
Peace,
- RG
Originally published at https://www.randygage.com on November 4, 2019.
