A Cold Drink of Water

by Ryan Krzykowski

There’s a lot going on these days.  To use perhaps the most overused word in our language, it’s a busy time.  School year wrapping up, birthdays, new babies in our circle of friends, a wedding to attend, a son with a newly purchased home that needs some work, another son working on a job search, high school baseball season, graduation parties to plan/attend with gifts to buy, the Community for Coaches Coach of the Year event in its final planning stages, relatives coming in from out of town, a yard to take care of, speeches to deliver, exercise, and at least a couple things I’m forgetting.  To be clear — there’s not one thing on that list that’s a problem…we are abundantly blessed by all of it.  At the same time, we are going hard and it’s easy to get worn out.

When I finish a particularly sweaty workout, it feels so great to get that first big sip of ice cold water.  That’s one of the best sensations I know.  We read in Proverbs 25 that we can provide a metaphorical drink of cold water to others by providing good news — “Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land”.  I guess this might not classify as being from a distant land, but lately I’ve certainly been dabbling in having a weary soul, so it felt really good a couple weeks ago when I received this text:

I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, and looked and saw this hanging in my cubicle.  I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me grow in my career.  Thanks man!

Included in that text was an image of this friend’s Coaching Purpose Statement on a post-it note that he and I worked on together nearly a decade ago.  Our paths have crossed in a variety of ways since then, and it’s been a great blessing to see the incredible impact he’s had in his work life over the years.  In a season where it’s easy to feel like I’m running on fumes, receiving that note provided a significant boost.  He didn’t realize it, but that message was a cold drink of water.

Let’s Coach With Purpose…