Quote

If I couldn’t handle not being good at something, then how could I consider myself a successful person.
- Gerald Hodges

Real Life

In 2015, a high school in Texas was struggling to field a swim team. The coach worked hard to convince students to join and a Year 9 named Gerald Hodges chose to sign up.

He was a strong basketball player, footballer and track athlete and despite the fact he could barely swim, he felt a prompting to join the swim team. He wanted to conquer the thing he was not good at.

At the next training, the coach discovered that Gerald couldn’t even swim across the pool. The overall level of swimming ability throughout the team was poor, but Gerald was unquestionably the poorest. Gerald was, however, determined. He worked hard at his swimming, choosing to stay with the swim team throughout his time at high school. His improvements encouraged his team mates who saw the progress he was making and believed they too could get better. By the time Gerald was in his second last year of high school, the team was starting to place at Regionals.

In Gerald’s last year at high school, his team made the relay final at the Regionals. The top two teams would qualify for the State Championship, something their school had never achieved. After three legs of the relay, the team was sitting in sixth. Gerald dived in for the last leg, determined to catch the swimmer in the lane next to him. He ended up not only catching, but passing that swimmer and three others to finish second with a phenomenal swim. Thanks to his efforts, his team went on to compete for the first time ever, at the State Championship.

Bible Verses

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:6

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:17

Thinking About It

Gerald wanted not only to be good at sport, he wanted to excel as a person. He wanted to face challenges and overcome them and he was prepared to put himself in a difficult position, where the risk of failure was high, to do that.

To try something new or have a go at something we know we are not good at is a scary thing. Fear of failure can quickly shut us down and convince us that it is not worth the risk. Gerald however, has shown us the rewards that can come from taking such a risk. He doesn’t fear things he is not good at and his self-worth is not dependant on succeeding all the time. This freedom opens up a world of possibilities to him.

When we feel prompted to step into a place that stretches our limits, God is there to strengthen us. He promises that our value is not in our achievements but in fact He loves us irrespective of whether we succeed or fail. He also assures us that when we are in Christ, His Spirit within us will strengthen and embolden us, if we chose to allow Him to. When we embrace these scary places and let God free us from fear, our potential grows exponentially.

Prayer

Lord thank You for the opportunities I have to be stretched and tested. Help me not to shy away from those moments, but with my hand in Yours, step into those places of growth.

Author: Sarah Auld   |   Content Editor: Phil Pawley