Encouragement Works

At one point during a game, the coach said to one of his youngnplayers, "Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?" Thenlittle boy nodded yes.nn"Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as anteam?" The little boy nodded yes.nn"So," the coach continued, "when a strike is called, or you are out atnfirst, you don't argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do younunderstand all that?" Again, the boy nodded yes.nn"Good," said the coach. "Now go over there and explain it to yournmother."nnWhat the coach wanted the boy's mother to understand is thatnencouragement is vital to success. Encouragement builds teams and alsonbuilds esteem. Encouragement works. In fact, the right kind ofnencouragement, at the right time, can change a life.nnAuthor Ron Dunn tells the story of two altar boys. One was born inn1892 in Eastern Europe. The other was born just three years later in ansmall town in Illinois (USA). Though their lives were quite different,nthese two boys shared a similar experience.nnEach altar boy assisted his parish priest in the celebration of Mass.nWhile handling the chalice during Holy Eucharist, they bothnaccidentally spilled some of the wine on the carpet.nnBut this is where their stories diverge. The priest in the EasternnEuropean church, seeing the purple stain, slapped the altar boy acrossnthe face and shouted, "Clumsy oaf! Leave the altar." He did. Thenlittle boy grew up to become the atheist and communist dictator ofnYugoslavia, Josip Broz Tito.nnThe priest in the church in Illinois, upon seeing the wine stain,nknelt down beside the boy and looked him tenderly in the eyes andnsaid, "It's all right, son. You'll do better next time. You'll be anfine priest for God someday." That little boy grew up to become thenmuch loved Bishop Fulton J. Sheen.nnWe will never know how much a kind and encouraging word from thenpriest, or the lack of one, influenced these boys' lives. But kindnessnand instruction are always far more valuable than anger and criticism.nnEncouragement works.