Honoring The Commitment

Honoring the Commitment

Let all who are spiritually mature . . . hold on to the progress we have already made. Philippians 3:15-16

My friend Wade Phillips has been integrally involved in One Heart, a campaign and movie concept dedicated to getting people involved with youth, specifically at-risk and incarcerated youth, to help them stay out of trouble and become productive members of society.

The idea for One Heart was inspired by a football game between Faith Christian School and Gainesville State School in Texas chronicled in the book Remember Why You Play by David Thomas. Kris Hogan, the head coach of Faith Christian, believed that if his kids were going to truly look beyond themselves, they needed to do something radical. He scheduled a game against Gainesville State, a maximum-security juvenile correctional facility.

The biggest issue for Coach Hogan wasn’t that the players there were serving time. Rather, his concern was that the Gainesville State team had no fans. No one encouraged those kids.

Faith Christian divided up their cheerleaders and the parents of Faith Christian players between their team and their opponent. It meant that some parents were fervently rooting for Gainesville players to tackle their sons. But by the end of the game, the hearts of players on both teams had been changed.

Once they heard the story, Coach Phillips and other members of the Dallas Cowboys got involved, hoping to spread the impact of Faith Christian’s actions far beyond that night.

But on the day of a fund-raising event for One Heart, word came that Coach Phillips had been fired.

No one at One Heart expected him to show up for the benefit. It was perfectly understandable. And then Wade walked through the door, stunning everyone, said Honor Garrett, one of the event’s organizers and the wife of Cowboys assistant coach John Garrett.

Wade Phillips believed in One Heart. He believed in keeping his word. He believed that his life, and what he can do with his days in building a legacy, was bigger than him.

He was able to use his platform for good, just hours after receiving that devastating news about his job. I know firsthand how difficult a day that was for him. It wouldn’t have been wrong if he hadn’t honored that particular commitment to One Heart. In the end, though, his choice to attend the charity event demonstrated how spiritually mature he was and made an even bigger impact.

Uncommon Key > Is there a commitment that you need to honor today, on the job or at home? Even if you are having a bad day, complete it if you can. It will speak volumes.