The Great Encourager

I really don't spend much time watching TV. I really don't have much time for it. However, a couple of weeks ago, I ended up in the living room.......with the TV on.......watching "Dancing With The Stars." Sometimes, its kinda fun to watch only because my kids like to pretend they are professional ballroom dancers and they dance with each other, trying to mimic what they see. However, on this particular night, there was something completely different.......SOMEONE completely different.

Her name is Amy Purdy and when she was 19 years old, she contracted Bacterial Meningitis and had to have both of her legs amputated from just below the knee. She has gone on to be a motivational speaker, a co-founder of a business, Para-Olympic medalist, and now is on "Dancing With The Stars." I was amazed that she was dancing, and that she was doing it so well.
One of the first questions to come to my mind was, "How did she know she could snowboard? How did she know she could dance? How did she know?"
When we are first learning how to walk, I would dare say that there was someone there to encourage us. I'm guessing that someone prodded us to try 'just one more time.' I would dare say that when we learned how to ride a bike, someone was there to hold on to the back of our seat, holding us up, running behind us until they let go, and away we went.
My point is, what do you do when you've never been encouraged or told that you can do something? How did Amy know that she could dance?

 

As I thought about it for the next couple of days, a very obvious answer kept coming back to mind. How did she know she could do it? She tried. She was willing to see what would happen, if she were willing to put herself out there and try. I would also venture to say that she has someone supporting her, encouraging her, perhaps Derek can even teach her or together they learn how this can be pulled off.

 

I have found myself dealing with more pot holes in my road than what I am comfortable with as of late, but feel the nudge of what I believe to be the spirit, guide me to some paths that have not been walked before. I find me asking myself, "How do I know I can do this? How do I know that I can really pull this off?" And even tonight as I am writing this post, I feel as if to wonder if the Spirit, who is also known by such titles as "The Holy Ghost, The Light of Christ, The Still Small Voice, or The Comforter" may also be known as "The Great Encourager."

 



“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be.” Stephen R. Covey