See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The John Tesh Story.
Life Lesson #59 – Be an Encourager.
DeShawn and his best friend, Dane couldn’t wait to go skating. DeShawn had been skating twice before, but he still wasn’t very good at it, and Dane had never been before. Then came Saturday, and DeShawn’s mom took them to the skating rink.
Dane was having a pretty hard time and was looking kind of clumsy. It seemed the more he tried, the more he fell. That’s when two other boys, who were fairly good skaters, began making fun of Dane. Every time they would come around and pass Dane, they would laugh, and sometimes they would say things like, “The skates go on the floor, not in the air!” Dane was really getting discouraged until Hanna skated over to him. She was the girl in the middle of the rink practicing her dance moves and double axel spins. “Don’t listen to those guys,” she said. “You’re doing a lot better than I did when I started.” Just keep practicing, and you’ll be better than them in no time. Then she took his hand and HELPED him for the next hour and a half.
On the way home, DeShawn was telling his mom all about what happened, and Dane was feeling pretty good about the progress he had made. DeShawn’s mom began explaining what the boys already knew. The two boys at the skating rink were just selfishly putting you down to make themselves feel better—plain and simple. And Hanna, who was the same age, was being a HERO because she was willing to spend her time and effort HELPING someone else. Oh, and the two boys? Yes, they began having some serious thoughts about the example Hanna was setting. And it wasn’t long before they found themselves actually HELPING other people, too instead of hurting them.
– Jim Lord