To Whom Much Is Given

Leigh Anne Tuohy is just like any other mom in Memphis, Tennessee...if those moms have Sandra Bullock portraying them in a major motion picture opening this month. 

The Blind Side tells the story of how the Tuohy family adopted homeless African American teenager Michael Oher, who became a football prodigy and a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens. 

“The movie definitely has the football element, which a lot of people will enjoy—there are cameos by some head coaches from the Southeastern Conference, such as Nick Saban and Tommy Tuberville—but it’s really a relationship story about a young man who has been deemed valueless,” Leigh Anne explains. 

“Michael is sort of bumped into our family by a series of circumstances, and he ends up becoming a very successful member of society.” 

The Blind Side not only chronicles the challenges that Michael has to overcome but also the insights and learnings that the Touhys gain. 

Here, Leigh Anne shares with GUIDEPOSTS readers four ways you can lift up people in your life. 

1. Do small things with great love.
The thought of doing something good can seem daunting. But don’t let that stop you from taking small steps to make positive changes, whether in your own life or someone else’s.  

“People often tell me, ‘I can’t do such a great, big thing like your family did,’” Leigh Anne says. “And I always just tell them, ‘OK, then do something small greatly.’”     

Leigh Anne believes that Michael became a part of the Tuohy family because they stayed open to the opportunities God put before them. 

“God had plans for Michael’s life, and we just happened to be facilitators of that plan,” she explains. “We like to think of ourselves as merely the vessels He used to accomplish His purpose in Michael’s life.” 

2. Let your love grow.
Sometimes little opportunities to do good grow beyond our wildest dreams. That’s what happened with Michael and the Tuohys. Leigh Anne had no idea at the time that they would eventually adopt Michael.