William Bachrach took an interest in a 15 year old boy named Johnny. Bachrach was the head swimming coach at an Illinois Ahtletic Club. He worked every day developing Johnny's strokes, helping him to improve his breathing, his turns, and starts. He gave his student a mental picture of what he wanted.
There was a problem with Johnny's swimming. When Johnny swam at his home pool he did great, but when he swam at away meets his times dropped dramatically. It was at one of the away meets that the frustrated coach finally figured out what was happening. After a meet that Johnny should have easily won, the coach asked him to get back into the pool and swim. It was then that the coach noticed that Johnny was not swimming straight. The coach realized that at their home pool there were thick black tiles that marked the lanes, but at the away meets there were none.
Coach Bachrach put his hat down on a kickboard at the end of the pool and asked Johnny to make the hat his goal and to draw a mental line to it. Johnny did this and his time was faster than ever! From that moment on, Johnny had a mental line that he could use at any pool, and by staying within those lines he ended up swimming in two Olympic games. Johnny Weissmuller won five Olympic medals and went on to be a movie hero by playing Tarzan!
Monday I will be starting a summer Bible Study for Jr. High Girls at my home. This will be a first for me, so I am a little nervous. I have felt a tugging at my heart for sometime now, and with much thought and prayer, I am going to get out of my comfort zone and lead a study that I hope will draw the girls to a personal relationship with God our Father, and Jesus our reedemer.
My goal for these girls is to draw that mental line for them that they can refer to any anytime during their day. As parents, we draw lines for our kids, and we can inforce them rather well when they are on our home turf. The problem is that our children have to swim out in the real world where there are very blurry lines. I hope to give them a line to focus on so they can win the race of a godly life.
This is a great story for us all. What do we set our sights on in this life? Is it money, popularity, or job status? We need to think about what our ultimate finish is going to look like and race for that moment. Living life in reverse helps us focus on what is important and then strengthening the relationships and characteristics we would like to be known for.
I want to be remembered as a woman with great faith.
There was a problem with Johnny's swimming. When Johnny swam at his home pool he did great, but when he swam at away meets his times dropped dramatically. It was at one of the away meets that the frustrated coach finally figured out what was happening. After a meet that Johnny should have easily won, the coach asked him to get back into the pool and swim. It was then that the coach noticed that Johnny was not swimming straight. The coach realized that at their home pool there were thick black tiles that marked the lanes, but at the away meets there were none.
Coach Bachrach put his hat down on a kickboard at the end of the pool and asked Johnny to make the hat his goal and to draw a mental line to it. Johnny did this and his time was faster than ever! From that moment on, Johnny had a mental line that he could use at any pool, and by staying within those lines he ended up swimming in two Olympic games. Johnny Weissmuller won five Olympic medals and went on to be a movie hero by playing Tarzan!
Monday I will be starting a summer Bible Study for Jr. High Girls at my home. This will be a first for me, so I am a little nervous. I have felt a tugging at my heart for sometime now, and with much thought and prayer, I am going to get out of my comfort zone and lead a study that I hope will draw the girls to a personal relationship with God our Father, and Jesus our reedemer.
My goal for these girls is to draw that mental line for them that they can refer to any anytime during their day. As parents, we draw lines for our kids, and we can inforce them rather well when they are on our home turf. The problem is that our children have to swim out in the real world where there are very blurry lines. I hope to give them a line to focus on so they can win the race of a godly life.
This is a great story for us all. What do we set our sights on in this life? Is it money, popularity, or job status? We need to think about what our ultimate finish is going to look like and race for that moment. Living life in reverse helps us focus on what is important and then strengthening the relationships and characteristics we would like to be known for.
I want to be remembered as a woman with great faith.
What do you want to be remembered for?
Sandy
