ang! The starting gun
sounded, and 10 runners
sprang forward. Ty’s older
brother, Joe, surged to the front.
This was Ty’s third time running
the mile—four laps around the
track—and Ty was nervous.
“Great start! Way to go!” Ty’s
mom yelled, giving a thumbs-up.
Ty ran faster, fueled by her posi-
tivity.
“Two laps to go,” the official
called a few minutes later.
Ty saw Joe half a lap ahead, vying
for first place. Go, Joe! Pass him! Ty
silently cheered, hoping to some-
day run like Joe.
“Run! Go faster,” Scott, a fellow
sixth grader and teammate, sud-
denly started screaming. But it
didn’t sound like he was cheering
Ty on. Scott’s mocking tone, jeering
laughter, and sarcastic words made
Ty feel as though he was being
made fun of—and reminded of how
slow he was.
“Run faster!” Scott continued
taunting.
I’m running as fast as I can! Ty
thought, breathing hard. Ty had felt
pretty good—until now.
“One lap to go,” the official
called.
Ty saw Joe, neck and neck with
the lead runner, sprinting toward
the finish. Go, Joe!
“Great run,” Joe said, clapping
Ty on the back after the race.
“Thanks. Did you win?” Ty
wheezed, his legs like noodles.
Joe just shrugged. “Not sure,
photo finish,” he said, and wan-
dered off. Typical Joe—never brag-
ging, always humble—following
Jesus’ example.
Scott was standing nearby.
“Why were you screaming at
me?” Ty blurted angrily.
“I was cheering—to pump you
up! You ran great!” Scott said, look-
ing surprised.
“That’s not cheering—that’s
heckling,” Ty growled before
stomping away.
ang! Two races later Scott
B was running an §o0o-meter
race—and having a hard
time. Ty was tempted to scream
at Scott to run faster. But then Ty
looked across the infield and saw
Joe cheering—the way Joe always
did—and Ty knew what to do.
“Good job, Scott! You got this!”
Ty cheered.
Glancing at Ty, Scott gritted his
teeth and quickened his pace.
Suddenly Ty realized Scott was
struggling this season. Track was
new to both of them, but Scott
didn’t have a brother like Joe to
show him how to act, how to cheer,
how to support his team. Ty’s
anger slipped away. He felt bad for
Scott. Ty realized his place on the
team was more than what place he
finished in a race—his place was
also to show Scott how to be a good
sport, a good teammate. Just the way
Joe—and Jesus—showed Ty. ©
October 10, 2020 | GUIDE | 15