A Defining Moment

Singing in front of others used to terrify me.

My hands would shake. My heart would pound. My voice would tremble, crack and fade into a whisper of sound.

Humiliating.

That's the best word I can use to describe it.

I was fine singing in a group. On the swings with my sisters. On long car rides with my family. In the choir at church.

But alone.

It was another story.

In junior high I signed up to take choir at school. Everything was going along fine until one day the teacher, Mr Iverson, pulled out a song for the Christmas concert. "I want you to solo the second verse," he said to me.

It. Was. A. Disaster.

A quivering, shaking, trembling, quaking disaster.

The next day he had me solo again.

I contemplated throwing up.

The following day he had me solo again. And the next day. And the next. And the next.

Until finally I learned to control the butterflies in my stomach and train them to soar out my mouth.

It would not have been possible without Mr Iverson who saw potential in me and took the time to draw it out, thus opening the future to years of singing in front of others.

Can you think of a defining moment in your life? A time when an adult took the opportunity to influence who you are today?

"I have become convinced that if God stands a child before you, for even just a minute, it is a divine appointment," writes Wess Stafford in his book Just a Minute.

He shares story after story about the impact an adult can have - for good or for destruction - in the heart of a child. As president and CEO of Compassion International, an organization that ministers to children in poverty around the world, he has had ample opportunity to witness this truth firsthand.

Wess Stafford asks, "Do you remember that one moment (or maybe there were several) that changed your life when you were a child - and shaped part of who you are today?"

My solo in my junior high music class was one such moment.

Stafford shares stories under the following sections: A Moment to Build Self-Worth; A Moment to Form Character; A Moment to Awaken the Spirit and more. Seven categories in all.

But Stafford doesn't stop with just stories. He challenges his readers to look for opportunities to make a difference in the life of a child, to take Just a Minute to change this world, one child at a time.

It was a good reminder to me as a mother, a grandmother, an elementary school volunteer and a preschool music teacher.

I recommend this book, which is not heavy reading, to anyone who works with children.

Stafford also has created a website at JustaMinute.com, a place to share your story of a person who has spoken truth, love, compassion, or encouragement in your life in a way that has changed you forever. You can read other people's stories there and even sign up to send e-cards to the people who have made a difference in your life.

What has been a defining moment in your life?