Dignity: Small Steps  

“Direction, not intention, determines destination.” Pastor Andy Stanley, The Principle of the Path. 

I want to tell you a story about a young man who decided to take on cross country skiing as his winter sport of choice. Prior to this he had been on skis once when he was 3 or 4 years old. His friends were doing it and he thought it would be fun and it was good exercise. His parents supported this but as all parents do, they worried about injuries. They worried if he would stick with it. They kept that to themselves because they understood that they needed to encourage him and to help him keep an open mind to new things. What his parents did not realize is that he would teach them a valuable lesson about determination and the drive to finish what you started. 

Here is the story of this sixteen-year-old’s first four races. 

1. Skied into the side of a building 

2. Twisted ankle going down a hill 

3. The first lap of a three-lap race fell 

4. Last lap of his latest race his ski came off. 

Tough break for him but it is what you would expect when this is your first-time skiing. He has finished at or near the end of the pack in all his races but here is the important part of that statement. He finished! Race 3 is the race the solidified the strong determination to finish what he started.  

Race 3: This was a 3.2-mile race. You had to do 3 laps. It was a difficult and challenging course. He fell during the first lap. When it was determined that he was ok he struggled to complete the first lap. Someone said to his mother it will be a great accomplishment for him if he can complete two laps. He was just about to complete lap two when his teammates started cheering him on and he went for lap three and completed the race.  

This young man set his path long before this race. He was a freshman in high school and was struggling. He told his parents that sophomore year would be different. He went from a “C” student to a high honors student in 1 year. He is a leader in his school because he leads by example. He did not just say he was going to change, he did it. He chose a direction in his life and that lead to the person who had the drive to finish that race. If you have not figured this out yet I am talking about my son Anthony.  

Anthony is my reminder about the importance of dignity and how by honoring who you are it changes how you see yourself and the world around you. He reminds me that it is those small unnoticeable choices that we make that can change the direction of our lives. What Anthony will remember about race 3 is not that he finished last but that he finished when he thought he did not have the strength. What it taught his parents is that same lesson. When I want to give up and not finish what I started the story of a sixteen-year-old young man helps me to get up and continue to move forward. 

“It’s the small choices no one sees that results in the big impact everyone wants.” Craig Groeschel, Divine Direction. 

Thank you, Anthony, for making those small choices that had a big impact on all those you know. What I hope is that when Anthony thinks about that race, he will realize that the fact that he finished will determine his direction in life and it will show all who were witness to this finish that nothing is impossible. 

Charles Redd RN 

Dignity Freedom Fighter