When Paul McCartney was a boy he auditioned for a place in the Liverpool cathedral choir. He was turned down because the choirmaster reckoned he didn’t have much of a voice. John Lennon was raised by his aunt Mimi. He spent most of his spare time in his bedroom playing guitar. Mimi looked at him one day and said, “John, it’s all very well playing your guitar, but you’ll never make a living out of it.” When Lennon made his first million, he gave her a silver plaque with her words inscribed on it. Two boys that changed our culture but no one saw their potential.

When Samuel anointed David as king of Israel, Jesse paraded his seven strong sons before him, but God rejected them. Then Jesse said, “There is still the youngest, He is tending the sheep.” When Samuel saw him, God said “he is the one.”

How many young people in your family, church, or community are the leaders of tomorrow? Are they future pastors, artists, politicians, teachers, or social workers who, with God’s help might be used to shape your community for the kingdom of God? How can you help them? How will you invest in their lives?

Source:

Liz Hull, “Cathedral choirmaster who refused to let Macca sing,” The Daily Mail (4-30-08); Telegraph Obituaries, “Ronald Woan, Director of the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral choir for more than three decades who once turned down a Beatle,” The Telegraph (5-9-19); Gayle Baugh (ed.) & Sherry Sullivan (ed.), Searching for Authenticity (Information Age Publishing, 2015), p. 57