VL - Issue 17 - August 2015

REFRESH YOUR SOUL
It Doesn’t Take Much by
Kristi Overton Johnson
Since 2003, I have been privileged to share my
love of water sports and the hope I have in Jesus
Christ together with people from all walks of life.
The In His Wakes outreach ministry and their A Day
to Remember program provides me with a favorite
way to do this. There are people at every IHW event
who, for some reason or another, refuse to join in the
water-sports activities. This saddens me because I
know they are missing out on what could very well be
the most incredible day of their life—a day of victory
and breakthrough.
Recently, I encountered a few such people
standing on the sidelines, unwilling to take to the
water. Through them, God reminded me of a very
powerful truth: it doesn’t take much to change a
person’s experience in life.
My first such encounter this year was with a
teenage girl at a military base event in Florida. I
couldn’t help but notice that she had isolated herself
from the rest of the group and was hanging back by
the trees. I’d already seen her in several conversations
with the leaders who’d brought her to the event. I
walked over to her and immediately sensed she was
not having a good day. There were tears in her eyes.
“Is there anything I can do to help make your day
a little better?” I asked.
She shook her head no and then whispered, “It’s
stupid.”
“What’s stupid?” I asked her.
“My bathing suit didn’t pass inspection. If I want
to go in the water, I have to go in my clothes. I don’t
want to swim in my clothes!”
“Well,” I said, “that’s an easy fix. It just so happens
that I have a bathing suit in my car that doesn’t fit
me. Last time I wore it, my husband asked me if I was
wearing my daughter’s suit! That comment ruined me
from ever wearing that suit in public again. I don’t
even know why I brought it to this event…it must
have been just for you!”
She was hesitant at first, but with a little
reassuring, she accepted my offer. Within moments,
this teen was on the water, having the time of her
life. The thank-you letter I received a week after that
event proves how incredibly powerful a small act of
kindness can be.
There was another girl hanging back as well, this
time due to fear. I’d had some success moving her
out of her comfort zone, but it wasn’t until her leader,
a sergeant, said she’d go out on the water with her
that this girl rose up from her chair and got behind
the boat on a tube.
The sergeant climbed aboard the tube completely
decked out in her military garb. It was awesome! Girls
lined up on the bank to ride with her. They had such a
great time together.
At another event in North Carolina, a shower cap
came to the rescue. One young lady had invested
hours in fixing her hair, and she was unwilling to get it
wet. It just so happened that I had an unused shower
cap packed in my suitcase. I walked over to the lake
house and retrieved it for her. The funny thing is that I
don’t even wear shower caps, yet I had felt the need
to pack it and travel through five states with it for
over a month!
When I knelt down and gave the girl the shower
cap, she looked confused and asked, “You really went
all the way over there just to get me a shower cap?”
And then, in all seriousness, she added, “You’re an
angel.”
Soon this girl was out on the water with the rest
of the group, having the time of her life, swimming,
riding in the boat, and bouncing on top of the water
on a tube and kneeboard! When the girl returned to
her group-home parents, a leader overheard her say,
“And she went all the way to her house and got me
a shower cap so my hair wouldn’t get messed up!”
Now, I am by no means an angel. For goodness
sakes, all I did was give the girl a shower cap that
I’d picked up from a hotel somewhere! It took five
minutes of my time and gave me some exercise in
the process. Yet her statement shows the incredible
impact a small act of generosity can have on a
person’s life.
It doesn’t take a whole lot to change the course
of someone’s day. For the first girl, all it took was for
me to give up my too-small-for-my-forty-five-year-oldbutt
bathing suit. For the second girl, it was a sergeant
who was willing to climb on a tube, still in uniform,
and have some fun. And for the third girl, it took a
complimentary shower cap. As a result, all three girls
left with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts.
They also left knowing the Lord and His love.
All around us, there are people whose whole day
could change if we would do just two things: take
notice, and be willing to give a little of ourselves.
This is the secret to touching lives. First, we must
take notice. We must be willing to look outside of
ourselves and notice others. Too often we are so
focused on ourselves that we don’t even see that
others are in need. Second, we must be willing to act.
Many times, we stop at noticing. We see someone
needs something, but we don’t act. It’s the action that
shows Christ’s love. Our actions lead others to Him.
Our actions prove our faith. (See James 2:14–26.)
Here’s the thing. We all have something to
give, no matter who or where we are. These three
incidents prove that it doesn’t take much to bless
someone. What is little to us isn’t little to someone
else. Sometimes it’s not even a thing that someone
needs; rather, it’s a smile, a hug, a prayer, or a word
of encouragement. People just need to know they’re
noticed. Sometimes it’s sharing your passions and
talents with someone else…like water-skiing. I
would never have imagined how water-skiing could
change people’s lives for eternity!
Together, let’s determine to look around and be
willing to act on what we see. Let’s be willing to give
a little of ourselves. As we do, amazing things will
happen, and not only will others be blessed, but we
are sure to find blessings for ourselves as we become
God’s angels in disguise. V
Kristi Overton Johnson, former
world champion water-skier, is the
founder of In His Wakes Ministry, KOJ
Ministries, and publisher of Victorious
Living magazine. She resides in
Florida with her husband, Tim, and
their three children.
6 www.kojministries.org