One of the things that I have had
in my heart since I started in full-time vocational ministry 8 years ago was
the desire to raise up the next generation.
When I was younger and in high school, I didn't have a lot of young
people in my church to spend time with, our youth group was fairly small, only
about 6 of us. I ended up spending a lot
of time with people who were older than me.
I played a lot of ping pong with my youth pastor and had tons of
conversations about everything. A lot of
people took the time to invest in my life and help to steer me in the right
direction.
Now, I am in a place where I'm
the older person and I have the opportunity to speak into the lives of young
people who are making many decisions about their life. I want to pass on the very thing that was so
important to me and encourage them in the faith that has become such a large
and important part of my life.
Thankfully, through music, I get a lot of opportunities for that and it's
always exciting to see people grow.
Amidst my experience, I have what
I call "trophies of grace."
These "trophies" are young people that stand out to me above
others. It might be that I spend more
time with them than I do with others. It
might be that there is some characteristic of them that stands out to me. Regardless, there have been a few young
people who have probably influenced me way more than I could ever influence
them.
This past Saturday, I had the
opportunity to go to a piano recital for one of those young people. This young man is an only child. He loves Harry Potter. He's brilliant. He's talented. He's determined. He was born with only two fingers on his
right hand, but that hasn't stopped him or slowed him down too much. His name is Raleigh Browne.
As I sat and listened to him play
music on the piano that someone with 10 fingers would struggle with, tears
welled up in my eyes. His mom shared her
anger with God when he was born, her frustration that he would not be able to
do all the things that she had hoped he could do. His piano teacher spoke of the inspiration
that he was and the opportunity that he had to meet George Winston, a famous
pianist. His music was heartfelt and his
determination was contagious.
He took a moment in the recital
to thank those who had taught, coached, and mentored him. As I turned over the program, I saw my name
listed among others. I wondered how I
could sit among other such influential people.
I wondered if I had really made a difference. Yet he called me by name.
I smiled to myself and wondered
if he knew how much I had learned from him.
I felt a twinge of guilt inside for the many times that I had faced a
seemingly impossible situation that had caused me to want to throw in the towel
and give up. I wondered how many times
someone had told Raleigh that he couldn't do something only to eat their words
later on when he proved them wrong.
God doesn't make mistakes. I might not understand everything that
happens and I know that we live in a world that is marred by sin, but I know
that God remains sovereign. I look at
Raleigh and I wonder what would be different had he been born with two normal
hands, but then I realize that he is who he is in part due to how he was
born. His character has been shaped and
molded by the obstacles that he has had to overcome. His determination and sheer grit have been
formative for him and all who have come in contact with him. He is an inspiration.
In Matthew 17:20, after the
disciples were unable to cast out a demon, they ask Jesus why they were
unsuccessful. Jesus says to them,
"Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as
small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to
there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." I
don't know what Raleigh wants to do when he gets older, but I have a hard time
thinking that he will be anything less than successful in whatever it is that
he puts his mind to.
I am privileged to have been
used, in however small of a way, to encourage this young man. God has a special plan for him and it's
encouraging and inspiring to see. My
prayer is that I might face every obstacle and adversity with the same grit and
determination that Raleigh has faced his, knowing that nothing is
impossible. May we all eliminate the
phrase, "that's impossible" from our vocabularies.
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