They Are Reading You
I love this young man right here! His tennis matches have started up again, and I am constantly surprised by how many parents quickly take note and comment about how impressed they are with Cody and what a joy he is to play against. Apparently, being a teenager with a great attitude and honest character is something that stands out as unusual these days. Yesterday Cody wasn’t sure if a ball hit by his opponent was out or in, so he hesitated before calling it and said, “Ahhh, I think that may have been in.” He gave the point to the other guy. It really was a tough one to call, but I looked over as the boy’s parents shifted in their chairs and looked a little bewildered that he called it in their son’s favor. It looked as if they weren’t even sure the point should have been theirs. The other evening Cody and I were coming back from a run, and we got stopped by a neighbor (I honestly have no idea what house she lives in. I have never seen or spoken with her before.) She stopped us, though, in her vehicle and told us that she just wanted to tell us how impressed she is with Cody. She said her son (who I got the impression was a young elementary boy) watches Cody mow the lawns for the neighbors out in the heat and says to his mom, “I want to be like him.” She told us that he really looks up to Cody. Wow, we had no idea! I thanked her for sharing that with me. Even I looked out my window one day and noticed Cody helping a single mother chase down her dog that got loose. I remember years ago when I was about 8 months pregnant our dog got loose. I was trying to catch him for quite some time while the 19 year old neighbor boy sat in a chair and watched. I think Cody is starting to see that he stands out, and people notice a difference. I shared with him how important his character is, and then I shared with him something that my superintendent in high school would always tell us, “You may be the only Jesus people ever see, and you may be the only Bible people ever read.” Represent Him well.
