My son, Zach, was a cross-country track runner in junior high and high school.

He was good, breaking school records and finishing in the top three in all but two races in his “career.” Zach’s success garnered him a lot of attention. It would have been easy for him to see himself as a one-man team. But that’s not who Zach is.

I’ll never forget one particular meet when a girl he had known since elementary school took a misstep over one of the hurdles she was jumping, causing one of her shoes to come untied.

When she landed, she tripped over the shoelace and fell face forward onto the track. Zach and a girl from the team were the first ones to come to her aid, assuring her it was nothing to worry about; there would be other races. And before Katy ran in the next track meet, Zach took the time to make sure her shoelaces were securely tied.

We all need someone like Zach in our life — especially our spiritual life.

We need someone who, when we “trip over our shoelaces,” will encourage us, empathize with us, hold us accountable, and mentor us toward a deeper and more personal relationship with the Lord.