Over decades of being a carpenter, I have built many things. I have built some beautiful homes and done projects that stand out. There’s a whole other side of business I’ve learned, that helps me enjoy what I do. It’s the opportunity I get to help lift others around me. Teaching and training people to learn a trade and then watch them go off to make their living or helping a young sub contractor grow, gain confidence, give them a trusting business relationship is always a positive life experience for both them and myself. When you help others to win you are sowing a seed in them to someday help someone else. Trying to hold a person back will in the end only hold you back. If we try to be unselfish and help people get to our level God will always make sure someone will be there to get you to the next level. I’ve learned that kindness is contagious.
Things of all kinds get built with a team of people, and how you help those people will strengthen or weaken the team. There’s nothing more rewarding than to lay down at night knowing that you helped someone else become better. You not only fulfilled your purpose for that day, you worked hard, but you took time to invest in someone else. This lifting of people is the most satisfying accomplishment I could ever have. There is no greater legacy than when you help someone else win. We should all learn to believe in people before they succeed. It’s easy to be someone’s friend after they’re successful. When they need us the most is before their success. Being successful doesn’t necessarily make you great, what makes you great is when you reach back and help to make someone else great. The best thing that could ever happen too me is after I’m gone someone says I would never be where I am without what he did for me.
There was a man that had a son who had some physical and mental challenges. He gave a speech in front of the school that his son attended. He thanked the staff and faculty and then cried out “Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is Gods perfection?” The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father’s anguish, stilled by the piercing query. “I believe” the father answered, “that when God brings a child like this into the world the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child.”
The father then went on to tell the following story of his son Shaya. One afternoon Shaya and I walked past a park which some boys were playing baseball. Shaya asked “do you think they would let me play?” The father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on the team. But Shaya’s father also understood if his boy was chosen it may give him a comfortable sense of belonging. Shaya’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none he took matters into his own hands and said it’s the eighth inning we are down by 6 runs I guess we can put him in the outfield and let him get up to bat. Shaya’s father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go play short center field.
In the bottom of the eighth inning Shaya’s team scored a few runs but were still down by 4. In the bottom of the ninth Shaya’s team scored again and now with 2 outs and the bases loaded, with the potential winning run at the plate, Shaya was due to bat. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya had never held a bat, but he stepped up to the plate. The first pitch was thrown and Shaya swung way late. The pitcher realized Shaya had a disability, he stepped off the mound closer to the plate and threw a softer pitch. Shaya swung again and missed. The pitcher stepped a little closer and lobbed the pitch, Shaya swung and amazingly hit the ball about 5 feet. The pitcher got the ball and saw Shaya running the best he could being cheered on by his father run Shaya run!! The pitcher easily could have thrown him out but intentionally threw the ball well over the first baseman’s head into the right field. Shaya touched first base and with the help of the opposing team he went onto second and then third base. By this time the right fielder got the ball, he had figured out what the pitcher had done and threw the ball again over the third baseman’s head. Shaya ran in, touched home plate and scored the winning run. Both teams cheering his name picked him up and brought him off the field. Shaya for the rest of his life will remember this day.
“That day” said the father softly, with tears rolling down his face, “those 18 boys reached their level of Gods perfection.”
That day those boys deposited something in Shaya that he will never forget. Sometimes you have to give up winning so somebody else can win. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to let someone else get ahead. What you make happen for others God will make happen for you. When you live unselfishly and you help somebody else get ahead God will make sure someday somebody will be there for you to get ahead. When you do for others what they cannot do for themselves you will always have Gods favor. Happy Sunday to Everyone!!
Thanks James. The Telepathy Tapes is also reframing this conversation for me. Before that, it was Dustin who led me back to Church. More later and thanks - https://thetelepathytapes.com
Over decades of being a carpenter, I have built many things. I have built some beautiful homes and done projects that stand out. There’s a whole other side of business I’ve learned, that helps me enjoy what I do. It’s the opportunity I get to help lift others around me. Teaching and training people to learn a trade and then watch them go off to make their living or helping a young sub contractor grow, gain confidence, give them a trusting business relationship is always a positive life experience for both them and myself. When you help others to win you are sowing a seed in them to someday help someone else. Trying to hold a person back will in the end only hold you back. If we try to be unselfish and help people get to our level God will always make sure someone will be there to get you to the next level. I’ve learned that kindness is contagious.
Things of all kinds get built with a team of people, and how you help those people will strengthen or weaken the team. There’s nothing more rewarding than to lay down at night knowing that you helped someone else become better. You not only fulfilled your purpose for that day, you worked hard, but you took time to invest in someone else. This lifting of people is the most satisfying accomplishment I could ever have. There is no greater legacy than when you help someone else win. We should all learn to believe in people before they succeed. It’s easy to be someone’s friend after they’re successful. When they need us the most is before their success. Being successful doesn’t necessarily make you great, what makes you great is when you reach back and help to make someone else great. The best thing that could ever happen too me is after I’m gone someone says I would never be where I am without what he did for me.
There was a man that had a son who had some physical and mental challenges. He gave a speech in front of the school that his son attended. He thanked the staff and faculty and then cried out “Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is Gods perfection?” The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father’s anguish, stilled by the piercing query. “I believe” the father answered, “that when God brings a child like this into the world the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child.”
The father then went on to tell the following story of his son Shaya. One afternoon Shaya and I walked past a park which some boys were playing baseball. Shaya asked “do you think they would let me play?” The father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on the team. But Shaya’s father also understood if his boy was chosen it may give him a comfortable sense of belonging. Shaya’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none he took matters into his own hands and said it’s the eighth inning we are down by 6 runs I guess we can put him in the outfield and let him get up to bat. Shaya’s father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go play short center field.
In the bottom of the eighth inning Shaya’s team scored a few runs but were still down by 4. In the bottom of the ninth Shaya’s team scored again and now with 2 outs and the bases loaded, with the potential winning run at the plate, Shaya was due to bat. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya had never held a bat, but he stepped up to the plate. The first pitch was thrown and Shaya swung way late. The pitcher realized Shaya had a disability, he stepped off the mound closer to the plate and threw a softer pitch. Shaya swung again and missed. The pitcher stepped a little closer and lobbed the pitch, Shaya swung and amazingly hit the ball about 5 feet. The pitcher got the ball and saw Shaya running the best he could being cheered on by his father run Shaya run!! The pitcher easily could have thrown him out but intentionally threw the ball well over the first baseman’s head into the right field. Shaya touched first base and with the help of the opposing team he went onto second and then third base. By this time the right fielder got the ball, he had figured out what the pitcher had done and threw the ball again over the third baseman’s head. Shaya ran in, touched home plate and scored the winning run. Both teams cheering his name picked him up and brought him off the field. Shaya for the rest of his life will remember this day.
“That day” said the father softly, with tears rolling down his face, “those 18 boys reached their level of Gods perfection.”
That day those boys deposited something in Shaya that he will never forget. Sometimes you have to give up winning so somebody else can win. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices to let someone else get ahead. What you make happen for others God will make happen for you. When you live unselfishly and you help somebody else get ahead God will make sure someday somebody will be there for you to get ahead. When you do for others what they cannot do for themselves you will always have Gods favor. Happy Sunday to Everyone!!
Thanks James. The Telepathy Tapes is also reframing this conversation for me. Before that, it was Dustin who led me back to Church. More later and thanks - https://thetelepathytapes.com