Tuesday; December 4

          A few weeks ago I publicly stated that I am a fan of the University of Central Florida Golden Knights.  My connection with UCF goes back decades when some of my High School classmates decided to attend what used to be known as Florida Tech, so when the UCF football program started gaining popularity it was easy for me to jump on the bandwagon.  Well, after a long trek, the Knights have won 25 games in a row and completed their second undefeated season.  While a case can be to be made for UCF being in the College Football Playoff, the fact of the matter is that in a lot people’s eyes, they just don’t have the same pedigree as some of the other programs in the discussion.  In all honesty, the debate has little to do with the quality of football they play, it has to do with the history (or lack thereof) of their program.  The only thing the Knights can do to gain credibility is just keep winning!
          The reason for this observation is that, like the new success of UCF, often young people have trouble getting the respect they feel they deserve.  It has nothing to do with their talent, it has to do with their experience.  We can fuss about it all we want, but the reality is that respect will most likely need to be earned.  Whether this is right or not, the only thing that a young person can do is keep doing good things.  We may not be able to overcome a perception of youth, but what we can do is make our accomplishments difficult to ignore.  Years ago, the Apostle Paul seemed to understand the challenges of youth when he encouraged his young friend, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” (I Timothy 4:12).
          Do you feel like you are too young to be noticed?  The key is in consistently doing good and over time your accomplishments will come to speak for themselves.
          Think About It! 

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