Let the World See You: How to Be Real in a World Full of FakesSample

I hoped I would be able to negotiate a better NFL contract than my agent had done previously. And I wanted to show other players that they could do it too. I wanted to be different. What I learned was that negotiating wasn’t the hard part; it was hearing all the negative reports from the so-called anonymous sources. 

I thought I could handle it, but it was hard. I talked with head coaches, general managers, assistant general managers, contract negotiators, all the decision makers. I wanted them to know I was available and excited about every opportunity to play. But they seemed not to care. Then a friend reminded me of who I am.

“Sam,” he said, “you’re highly relational. You love encouraging people. These people, the people at the top, are likely lacking in real relationships, lacking in true encouragement. So instead of trying to get something from them, why don’t you try to give something to them. Encourage them. Pray for them. See where that takes you.” 

I had been focusing on getting what I wanted from these decision makers, when all along God was telling me to focus on giving and allow him to get for me what I was looking for.

So I changed perspective. Instead of calling teams for a job, I asked how I could pray for them. I talked to head coaches, general managers, scouts, and contract negotiators, the people no one has access to, and I would pray for them. I would encourage them. I would remind them that their worth was so much more than their decisions. That there was a God in heaven who saw them and who knew them. Even after hearing them say no, I asked what they needed prayer for. Some said their families, some said balance in their life, some said the health of their teams. But they all responded. They all wanted relationship. These men—the guys I would usually need a buffer to communicate with, the people I didn’t understand—were just like me. I didn’t learn that fact until I stopped trying to build my kingdom and instead started trying to build God’s.