From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
I was reading an article on the internet a while back and came across a piece of advice that a father had given his son.
It was simply, “minimize the criticize, raise the praise.”
My mom had a different way of saying the same thing: “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
Many years ago growing up in Windsor, Ontario I played Little League baseball with my twin brother.
One year we landed on a team that was average at best but whose coach thought the world of us.
He didn’t favour the better players and he gave copious amounts of encouragement to all the players on the team.
He established a culture of comradery that permeated the entire team.
The season was comprised of two, 10-game schedules with a winner crowned for each schedule.
Our team got absolutely shellacked in our first game, losing 19-3.
We were discouraged but our coach pointed out that there were still 19 games left to play and besides, we would improve and learn from our mistakes.
As it turned out we won the next 19 games and won both schedules that season.
But do you want to know something?
The winning was great but what I loved most about that season was how my coach believed in me.
It made me want to work harder to be a better player.
Who in your life right now could use a little more praise for what they are trying to accomplish?
I’m not saying to embellish the facts but rather to give credit where credit is due.
Surely you find someone this week who could use a little more of that, right?
