My lacrosse team had a summer league game last night. We had just enough girls to play. Just as they were taking the field, a girl randomly came up to me and asked if I needed more players, and if she could play with us. Come to find out, the random girl was named Stephanie; she is going into her freshmen year of high school; and she simply just wanted to play lacrosse. She had already played in 2 games that night and was just wandering around, looking for any team to play with. For me, she was a blessing because her addition to the team for that game gave us a much needed sub. But what impressed me most about Stephanie was her attitude and boldness.
When I went to sub Stephanie into the game, I gave her instructions, and her reply was, “Whatever you need coach. I’ll do anything you want.” When she got on the field, the girl gave everything she had, and even played in some positions that she was less skilled in. Yet Stephanie never hesitated, nor backed down.
Before Stephanie even took the field, she was cheering her new teammates on from the sideline. When she got on the field, she never stopped. She congratulated girls for making a good play; she encouraged them when they messed up; she singled out girls by calling out the number on their pinney; she even gave the goalie a shout-out from the opposite end of the field. From start to finish, she was encouraging every girl on that team tho she had never met them before.
On my drive home I thought about Stephanie and what a unique young lady she is. Her boldness to just come up to me and ask to play for us was quite surprising. And the fact that she didn’t know a single one of us didn’t stop her from jumping in and being a part of the team. What a girl! It kinda made me think about how we can be with our faith. Or maybe how we should be. Bold and unashamed. Courageous and encouraging. Involved and active. I bet we could all be a little more like Stephanie when it comes to living for Jesus and sharing Him with others. I know for a fact I can be.
Last night I showed up to coach high school girls about the game of lacrosse, yet I went home having been coached about the game of life and my faith. Thank you Stephanie for simply being you and for being a really cool example to me.