Brenda’s Blog – October 23, 2018
“You can do it, Mimi. I believe in you!”
The cute seven year old urged his grandmother to get into the pool. She was hesitant and afraid of the water. With his sweet face smiling at her, he patiently waited for her to walk into the shallow end of the pool. AND SHE DID! Her look of accomplishment was only outshone by the thrill of her grandson.
One of the questions we ask college students at our Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute events is “Who first said ‘I believe in you.’ “You would expect these student leaders to quickly respond, wouldn’t you? But often (way too often) we hear, “No one has said that to me.”
One young man recently said, “My Dad was mean to my Mom and me. He told me I was nothing but trouble.” Another responded, “I knew I was loved but my parents never told me they believed in me.”
The positive answers are usually coach, Sunday School teacher, or grandparents.
The last thing we do as a team before leaving a school is line up as a team and ask the students to form a line. They come by; receive a handshake, and a word of encouragement or blessing. Many times this includes looking straight into their eyes and saying “I believe in you.”
Who first said “I believe in you?” Then another important question: “Who is hearing from you ‘I believe in you’?”
A woman at Jarvis Christian College came up as we left, hugged, and said, “You spoke life into us this weekend.” THAT is what motivates us to travel “on our own dime and time” to college campuses fulfilling the mission: Stretching and Blessing the Next Generation of Leaders… to the Glory of God.
“You can do it, Mimi!” AND SHE DID.