A Worthwhile Building Project

A Worthwhile Building Project

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? James 2:14

Derrick Brooks always made a difference on the football field. Fortunately for the “Brooks Bunch”—a group of kids Derrick got involved with at the Boys Club in Tampa—he makes a difference off the field too.

Not only was Derrick a great player, he’s incredibly bright and generous. He has always been concerned with giving back. So when he arrived in Tampa in 1995, he began hanging out at the local Boys & Girls Clubs. He was amazed by the number of kids who had never been outside of Tampa, and he committed himself to broadening their horizons and helping them see themselves as future leaders who could make a difference. He developed a curriculum in which kids would spend a year learning about a place—the King Center in Atlanta; Washington, DC; even South Africa and Swaziland—and then he would take them on a trip to that destination. It was his way of building into the lives of others.

That’s an uncommon sense of commitment. All of us have some kind of impact on those closest to us—hopefully a very positive impact—but not everyone goes out of their way to invest in the lives of those outside their normal circle of relationships. Derrick uses the gifts God has given him to look beyond himself and make a difference. And any of us can do that. We can give a hand to provide unusual opportunities for people who haven’t had many. We can volunteer time and invest resources to make a lasting impact in the lives of others. We can see the potential in others and help them achieve it.

That’s mentoring. That’s what it means to leave a legacy. Recently, the first wave of the Brooks Bunch graduated from college, and I have no doubt that Derrick’s involvement played a big part in their success. Anytime we go the extra mile to invest in someone’s life, we make a difference—and we help them make one too.

Uncommon Key > Find ways to build into others’ lives. Mentoring leaves a lasting legacy. It increases the impact of your life, and it helps others increase the impact of theirs.