1 Thessalonians 5:11

I sincerely hope you have seen the movie Hidden Figures. If not, I encourage you to do so.

The historical accuracy is commendable (I lived through most of it), the casting director hit it perfectly, the script flows flawlessly and the acting is superb. As to the acting, a friend of mine who writes movie reviews suggests there was likely a meeting early on where the director advised Kevin Costner that his biggest challenge in this role would be getting out of the way in order for the three women to take center stage. Spoiler Alert: He does!

hidden-figures-posterThe movie well frames the major challenges of the period – namely the intensity of the space race between the Russians and the Americans; women’s emergence into the workforce; and the extreme prejudice against African Americans at the time. Those tasked with bringing the story to the big screen magnificently portray all three simultaneously weaving them deftly together. Masterful!

None of this is what brought me to tears, though.

The impact for me is in belief. Believing in someone else. Believing in someone else when no one else does. Believing in someone else when they are unsure themselves.

I left the movie with one overarching conviction – Everyone needs just one person to believe in them to enable them to soar.

 

hidden_figures_mary_jackson_dorothy_vaughan_katherine_johnsonWhile it might appear that the three protagonists are “in it together” since they are all trying to make their way in 1960s NASA, each of their situations is unique. Each is pursuing a distinct objective and each is working from a unique life circumstance. The commonality in their persistence is the support of one person, just one key person, who encourages them, constantly building them up. In true cinematic form, the support and encouragement they each receive comes from very unexpected quarters. (If you haven’t seen the movie, go see it and watch for the encouragers that enabled them to soar. If you have seen it and can’t name the individual supporters, go see it again.)

While we celebrate these three women and others like them, let us grieve for those who were crushed by the status quo for lack of someone to tell them “Yes you can.”

So my charge to you here is twofold:

  1. In those areas of your life where your doubts are thwarting you, look around to see who it is that is spurring you on. Cherish their belief in you and let them know how you value it.
  2. More importantly – there is someone, dare I say many someones, right in your midst waiting for someone to tell them, “Yes you can.” Be that someone.

Soaring on the shoulders of those who believe(d) in me,

Robertdav-ad