Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Elect (03/05/26)
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TITLE: The Courage To Try | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Meiners
03/10/26 -
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“Hey, buddy,” Mom said as she sat across from him. “What’s wrong?”
“Just thinkin’.”
“About what?”
“About something Jonathan did today.”
Jonathan had been his best friend since kindergarten. They were now freshmen at Hamilton High.
“What did Jonathan do?”
“He nominated me for class president. He put my name on the ballot. The election is Friday. Mom, I can’t be class president.”
“Why not?” Mom asked.
“You know why, Mom.”
“No, son, I don’t know why. You are smart, witty, fun, and faithful, and the kids seem to like you. You’d make a good president. Goodness, Jonathan is the captain of the football team and the captain of his debate team. He must highly respect you to want you to run for office, and he has influence over the other kids too. He will put in a good word for you.”
“MOM! No one will elect me. Maybe Jonathan and a few of the other guys, but not the whole class.”
“You still haven’t told me why they won’t elect you.”
Jeremy put his head in his hands and, with sad eyes, looked at his mom. “Mom, I have Down Syndrome. Kids see me with a handicap. Some of the kids make fun of me.”
“Jeremy,” Mom said as she took his face in her hands. “Look at me. You are a perfect boy, created by your Heavenly Father—a masterpiece of His artwork. You are handicapped only if you allow yourself to be—and that, Jeremy, is not who you have been brought up to be. Those kids who make fun of you are only a few, and they don’t count.”
“I’ll probably lose anyway,” Jeremy whispered.
“President Theodore Roosevelt once said, ‘It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.’ Jeremy, you are giving up even before you try. That’s not you,” Mom challenged. “The Jeremy I know would stand up tall and go out and conquer the world because he knew he could do it.”
Jeremy sighed.
“I’m goin’ to my room.”
With those words, Jeremy walked away. When he opened the door, the poster above his bed caught his attention.
A boy, standing on top of a mountain, and the words, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
“God… can I?”
“Do all things… includin’ being class president?”
Jeremy felt his skin prickle, and he knew God was speaking to him. In his heart he knew he could do this—with God’s help.
“Okay God, I’ll do it.”
The next morning Jeremy told his mom that he’d keep his name on the ballot.
“That’s awesome, son,” Mom said, hugging him tight. “Now eat your breakfast so you can get to the bus on time.”
A week had never been so long.
By Friday Maggie was a nervous wreck. She dusted the furniture, cleaned the bathroom—twice— baked five dozen chocolate chip cookies, just to keep herself busy. She could hardly wait for three o’clock when Jeremy would get off the bus.
She saw the bus coming, and prayed, “Father, Your will be done.”
Jeremy stepped off the bus, his head down and slowly walked toward the house.
“Oh no,” Maggie thought. “He looks sad… dejected. He lost.”
The back door opened. Jeremy walked in, dropped his backpack by the door, came to the kitchen table, and sat down.
“I baked cookies for you,” Mom said softly.
“Thanks,” Jeremy replied, reaching for one.
“Well… how did it go today?”
“The kids voted,” Jeremy said. “Jonathan assured me the best person won.”
“And that person is…..?”
“Mom! The person with the most votes got elected.”
“Jeremy James! Just who was elected?”
Jeremy looked up. A slow grin spread across his face as he chewed his cookie.
“Me, Mom. The class elected me.”
Tears instantly filled Maggie’s eyes as she wrapped her arms around her son.
“Oh Jeremy… I’m so proud of you! Not because you won, but because you had the courage to try.”
“The poster was right,” he said quietly.
“What poster?” Mom asked.
“The one over my bed.”
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
And somewhere deep inside, Jeremy knew something even more important than winning an election.
God’s words could be trusted.
Scripture Philippians 4:13 - NIV
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Thank you for those tears that surfaced near the end of my reading. You brought me into Jeremy's personality and caused me to feel emotion.