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cheering on ourselves
We should be able to be happy for people when they succeed.
Even if they are about to surpass us, we should cheer them on.
Forty thousand fans were on hand in the Oakland stadium when Rickey Henderson tied Lou Brock’s career stolen-base
record. According to USA Today, Lou Brock, who had left baseball in 1979, had followed Henderson’s career and was excited about his success. Realizing that Rickey would set a new record, Brock said, “I’ll be there. Do you think I’m going to miss it now? Rickey did in 12 years what took me 19. He’s amazing.”
The real success stories in life are with people who can rejoice in the successes of others. What Lou Brock did in
cheering on Rickey Henderson should be a way of life for those in the family of God. Few circumstances give us a better
opportunity to exhibit God’s grace than when someone succeeds and surpasses us in an area of our own strength and
reputation.
I can only imagine how good it made Rickey Henderson feel to have Lou Brock at the game cheering him on. We all
want our peers to be happy for us when we succeed. Let’s remember that we don’t have to be in competition for the
number one spot in life in all things, and that no matter how good we are at something, someone is on the way who will be better at what we do than we are. That is progress, and we should be thankful for it. They say records were made to be broken, and I am glad they are because that way we can all keep trying to do better and cheering for whoever succeeds.
