The Inspiration Station, Part 2 Devotional — The Swim Team
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
After you’ve heard “The Inspiration Station, Part 2,” check out this devotional thought. (If you haven’t heard the episode, check out the Media Player starting March 13. You can also find a station in your area.)
Listen to Part 2 online!
Click to play
The Swim Team
By Catherine Wilson
“Come on!” “You can make it!” “Let’s go!” The shouts of the crowd were jumbled underwater, but I knew that many of the cheers were for me. I flip turned into the final lap of the race. I thrust my arms through the water, with as much precision and strength as I knew how and took a gulp of air to last me the final stretch. I could feel my muscles burning. I put all my mental energies into keeping my arms and legs going for those last few strokes. My lungs were crying for air as I stretched my arms through the water, toward the finish, until…my hand hit the wall at last! My head broke through the surface. I took a deep breath and looked up at the scoreboard. My time had improved! And…I was the last one to finish the race. My friends came around me to congratulate me for finishing. Their encouragement was my favorite part of being on the team.
I was one of the worst swimmers that season and in the next season, my skills didn’t improve much. I worked just as hard during practice, thinking I would eventually get better, but it never seemed to happen. I also got to know some of the new swimmers who were just learning. Because my friends had encouraged me in my first year, I knew that I should do the same thing for the new swimmers. I helped them learn how to the basics, and soon I got to encourage them when they swam better than me! At the end of that second season, when I was still coming in last place, I realized something. The reason I was there wasn’t to win the races; the reason I was there was to inspire others to do their best.
Like Connie in “The Inspiration Station,” I started some days feeling discouraged about the things I didn’t do well. But, like Connie, I was blessed to have friends who encouraged me along the way. My friends taught me to think about what I can really do well, which is being a friend and encouraging others.
The apostle Paul wrote that we should “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We usually think of inspiration as something we get. But what if inspiration was something that we gave to others? We can inspire others through our encouragement.
In the next week, find one person and give them encouragement. You could do this by cheering them at sports or helping them at school. You could tell a family member that you love them and believe in them. Then us know how it went in the comments below!
