Lacrosse, Leadership, and the Spiritual Life

My oldest son Justin (14) is a big guy.

Big as in nearly six feet tall, 250+ pounds, size twelve shoes.

Much bigger than me.

Naturally, he plays football. And lifts weights. It is the most obvious sport for him.

So imagine my surprise when he said he wanted to play lacrosse this season.

His school has a very competitive lacrosse program. And lacrosse is a game with a premium on speed and quick bursts. Justin is a good athlete, to be sure, but his strength is not exactly speed.

But the lacrosse coach saw something I didn't. He saw that Justin could be a great goalie.

Even though he is big and not fast, Justin has great hand-eye coordination and good reflexes - hugely important traits for a goalie.

And...how to say this....he takes up a good portion of the relatively small lacrosse net!

He is doing great in this his first season, playing with guys who have played for years, and I am very proud of him.

Justin's lacrosse career has me thinking two things about life and leadership.

First, are there areas in your life where you could do something, try something, risk something where you have been holding back? I was so impressed that Justin was willing to go out for a team that did not seem - with a superficial look - to fit his strengths. He was willing to risk, and the risk paid off. Is there somewhere in your life you could risk by putting a known truth into actual action?

Second, if you are a leader - at work, at church, in a civic group, at school, in sports - are you really looking hard at the people following you to see ALL their gifts, talents, and abilities, not just the obvious ones?

Winners risk and winning leaders see what others don't and are willing to give people opportunities to stretch and grow and achieve!