There I was, sitting in a room full of kids with a whole row of 8th grade boys in front of me. I had heard about these boys, how they had been nigh uncontrollable throughout junior high. I was verifying with my own eyes their unwillingness to quiet down, listen to authority, and act with any sort of maturity. And I was supposed to be their mentor for the next four years. Hoo.
One in particular seemed in some ways both the ringleader and the underling. While he simultaneously initiated much of these boys’ hijinks, he also seemed to be the group’s favorite to tackle and pile up on, a rather frequent occurrence, in fact! His name was Jake Rey, and when I met him, I must admit my predictions for his future were well, not as optimistic as they were for other students.
I was wonderfully wrong. Fast forward nine years to the present. Jake is now a very mature godly man, has persuaded a fantastic woman to marry him, has started law school, has used the bumps in the road throughout his young adult life for his betterment, has made several excellent decisions, and has even done very meaningful favors for yours truly! As with everyone, God and others had a hand in helping him, but Jake has taught me to never underestimate the capacity of a person to change for the better…and sometimes even flat out impress you! Thanks Jake for proving to me the value of expecting more unexpected twists.
And you? There must be someone in your life who was once underestimated only to either become a very admirable individual or to come through for you in a helpful way. Today heal their hereafter with some gratitude for their unexpected twist!
I like to ask whomever I thank for a cause they value so that more people can learn about it as well. Jake wanted to focus you on Kiva, an organization empowering thousands of people throughout the world to provide for their families and become more financially independent through microloans. Learn more about Kiva and microloan strategy here.
