I have thought about that a lot for the last four months. She asked me what prompted me. And the person who asked the question had an impact on me that probably played into the prompting. Although I doubt she knows that. So, here is a glimpse at how someone in our past can impact us in our future.
I went to a college that had a lot of rules. It was a military college. One of the rules was that as a first quarter freshman you had to be in your dorm by 8:00pm each night. If you wanted to go to the library or any other approved locations to study then you had to sign out of your dorm. My roommate had college hours coming into our freshman year so the rule did not apply to her. So when she and a few friends asked me to go out with them after 8:00, I just pretended it didn't apply to me either. My RA felt differently. I got introduced to Dean Saus.
I got put on probation. But I met an incredible woman. Well, let's just say that I met her several other times also. We got to know one another. She never judged me. She never treated me like a child. She asked questions. She got to know who I was and what I was about. She cared. She followed up. She listened. And she made an impact on me.
I became an orientation leader. It was a big deal position. And she believed that I could make a difference. She, along with other key administrators of the college, encouraged me. They gave me leadership roles. They trusted me with administrative tasks. The gave me a voice.
Before that time in my life, I did not have a voice. I did not believe in myself. At all. There have been so many other people that saw the potential in me and encouraged me since that time. Mainly, my sweet husband. But that visit to the Dean's office opened my eyes. Opened my heart. Prompted me to speak and to lead and to move forward.
Dean Saus~ you cared. And that matters. As I look back on those years with God's eyes, the path He laid out is so clear. Thank you for being at the beginning of it. Even if you did not know that you were impacting me, He did.
How we treat others matters. We have a profound impact on the next generation. An impact that can prompt something as small as writing a blog or as large as changing a nation. We may never know how our words or our hugs or our willingness to believe can impact another person. But He does. Ask God to show you how you can impact the next generation and then be willing to sit back and wait to see what He will do.
The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
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