“There is no life,
No Life without its hunger
Each restless heart
Beats so imperfectly”
“You Raise Me Up” - Selah

Rolf Lovland originally composed “You Raise Me Up” as an instrumental piece titled “Silent Story” in 2001. The composer reached out to songwriter Brendan Graham to write lyrics to the melody, and the version with lyrics was retitled and performed for the first time at the funeral of Lovland’s mother.

The song has been released by multiple performers, most notably Josh Groban, whose version of the song was released in September 2004. Just two months earlier, Christian group Selah released their version of the Irish song, and it caught on quickly on Christian radio and especially with some members of the youth at the church I was serving at the time.

The quoted verse above did not appear in Groban’s version, and I appreciate the sentiment of the verse as it discusses the hunger inside each person. However, the path each person takes to fulfill that hunger is impeded by our own human imperfection.

Wait, was that surprising for you to hear? You, me, everyone you know…is imperfect. We all screw up.

I had an early exposure to this concept in my baseball fandom. Ted Williams holds the record for getting on base at the highest rate in major league history. He reached base 48% of the time that he came to the plate. That means that more than half the time, the most successful hitter in doing what a hitter wants to do - reach base - failed in that pursuit.

Unfortunately, many in life don’t have the experience of having someone who sees the potential in them, through their imperfections.

On the front page of this week’s paper, you’ll find an article about Huron’s Garney Henley, who has a list of sporting achievements that a miniscule percentage of athletes who ever play a sport get a chance to achieve. When you talk with Garney, however, there’s a shift in his tone when you move from speaking about his on-field achievements to the success of his coaching career.

Garney’s wife joked that he has never stopped coaching, even her, and his gentle nature in encouraging something in you that could allow you to be better was quite successful in his college basketball coaching career.

I find it interesting how many very successful people I’ve known and met in my life who have a very calm, almost soft-spoken tone to their presence. That soft spokenness leading to success can often be correlated with words that Teddy Roosevelt spoke at the Minnesota State Fair in 1901, when he uttered his famous line, “Speak softly and carry a big stick!”

Patience and a lack of over-excited rhetorical speech do not simply mean there’s a “big stick” somewhere in hiding ready to swing, though. Think back to the times that you truly took in someone offering you guidance, wisdom, and/or encouragement.

Did you receive it best when it was bellowed at you in a volume and tone that could revitalize the dead? Or was it best received when those words of encouragement and even constructive criticism were delivered with a tone of understanding and calm?

We are all imperfect, and we all are seeking some semblance of control over our imperfections. All you need to do is look at an average day on social media to understand that stirring the pot to get others upset is going to allow you to feel a moment of control over the situation, as you will likely elicit a heightened response from someone in doing that stirring.

What if, rather than trying to swing a stick and see what we can hit, we would take the time to truly listen and understand our friends, family, and neighbors? Then, having heard what is truly impacting their heart, find ways to encourage them and come alongside them…

Imagine the uplifting that could be. Garney can, because he did that with many young men in his coaching career, and plenty of those young men came to a recognition of his sporting accomplishments to let everyone know that the biggest accomplishments he had were in the success and drive he instilled in those he invested time into, and that’s a legacy that will live on long after he’s gone.

As we look forward to celebrating our past and looking toward our future as a community and a nation this week, let’s remember that we didn’t get here by sowing division and ill feelings toward one another; we got here through cooperation, coordination, and encouragement.