Full disclosure time: This week’s Word of Encouragement has been a tough one to author.
When our team gets together to discuss potential topics or themes, we favor themes or stories that are positive and uplifting. So I was surprised when one of my teammates suggested that we should consider a story that at first glance, did not seem too uplifting. In fact, the incident itself is downright awful and tragic.
I am referring to the tragedy that struck this week when a shooting incident at Oxford High School resulted in the deaths of four students. Truthfully, there are no words that can make sense of this violent act or the impact it will have on the families who have lost loved ones, or kids that witnessed and experienced this tragic event.
But one of my colleagues suggested that we focus on the heroic actions of Tate Myre. Tate was a star athlete on the football team and his Twitter account highlighted his GPA of 3.9, his time of 4.44s in the forty yard dash, and the fact that he could bench 225 pounds eight times.
But none of that will be the reason why Tate will be forever remembered. According to Tate’s football coach, Ross Wingert, "I was told that (while) everybody in that school was running one way, Tate was running the other way."
Tate ran towards the gunman to try and disarm him. And as a result of his actions, he was shot several times trying to disarm the shooter. But his actions gave his fellow students critical time to escape from the shooter.
As a Twitter feed from Kearsley Football Buzz noted: “We teach our kids to be tough, to stand up - to fight. This kid did it on the football field and he did it today in the moment of truth. This kid is a hero - my heart is empty yet full at the same time. Life is a precious gift folks.”
And as I watched this video of Tate after his team Oxford beat a rival Clarkston in an upset that allowed them to advance to the playoffs, he uttered these words: “Rain is like Oxford football, tough”.
There are a couple of reasons why this story resonated with us. First, we are living in tumultuous times. Whether it’s the lingering Covid issue and related variants, or the things that are going on with the economy or events around the world, the onslaught of news can obscure the fact that there are still plenty of good people and things happening in the world.
Second, in a world that places all sorts of importance on fads and styles, the value and importance of being willing to sacrifice for others never goes out of style. Obviously there are different forms and levels of sacrifice. There are those like Tate and our military and law enforcement personnel who have paid the ultimate price in serving or protecting others.
I am thankful that there are people like Tate Myre and other family members and friends who have demonstrated the values and virtues of serving others. For me these people serve as an important antidote to the constant stream of articles and news reports that focus on “what’s wrong” versus “what’s right” in the world.
While Tate Myre will be remembered for his act of selfless courage and bravery as he ran into and not away from danger, he also reminded me and others that there are opportunities to serve others and make this world a better place for all of us.
One of my mentors likes to remind me that humility isn’t about “thinking less of ourselves,” instead “it’s thinking about ourselves less.” Personally, I have been blessed by others who have sacrificed on our behalf, and perhaps you have been too.
While some acts involve great sacrifice and others may not seem to the person doing them like a big deal, they all help remind us that we matter to them and others. And as we head into this Christmas Season, perhaps we can take the time to let others know that they matter to us and we can exemplify the words from what is arguably one of the most famous verses in the Gospel of John: For God so loved the world.