You know that girl that is always two (or five) years behind the trend? She excitedly tells you about this amazing group she just heard and you’re not sure if you should let her enjoy her discovery or tell her that the group’s third album just went platinum and ask her for the address of the rock she’s living under. That girl is normally me, but not this time!

Yesterday I stumbled across an America’s Got Talent audition video of the comedian @TheDrewLynch. Drew took the stage last week and brought the crowd to their feet. His performance granted him the coveted #GoldenBuzzer which sends a contestant straight to the live shows at Radio City Music Hall. His routine made me laugh, but his story made me cry…big, fat, messy tears.

Four years ago Drew was a normal, 19 year old kid until a softball accident injured nerves in his vocal chords. That injury gave him a severe stutter and dramatically changed his life. Today, Drew is preparing content for a live comedy show in New York City.

There are a few elements to Drew’s story that especially touched my heart and started the water works.

He Chose Humility Over Bitterness

While waiting for his audition, Drew fights strong emotion and tells the cameraman a bit of his story.

The person I was before would probably never hang out with who I am today. I thought people were lucky if they got to talk to me. That was…[I was] a jerk.

By his own admission, Drew thought a lot of himself before the accident and acted in ways that he is ashamed of today. This incident could have further pointed Drew down a bad road, turning him into an angry, bitter, backward-focused individual. Instead he chose humility. He channeled the bad into good, allowing the difficulty to refine him into a better person.

He Has a Loving Support System

Drew attributes much of his success to his girlfriend. In the midst of his anger, she encouraged him to work through his frustrations by talking about them on stage. She also works three jobs so that he can focus on becoming a comedian.

Her quiet faithfulness behind the scenes moves me because of the correlation I see to ministry and the church. Our goal for Infusion is to create a full-service network of women helping women so those who have no support system can have the resources and encouragement they need to become the people God intended for them to be. No one reaches their full potential alone.

 He Turned Tragedy Into Triumph

Everyone loves a good comeback story.They give us hope and courage. Drew shares both on and off stage that his goal is to show others that “you can turn anything to a positive.” Howie Mandel, the judge who granted Drew his golden confetti moment, said it well in his summary of Drew’s performance.

What you did is you looked for the light at the end of the darkness. And that light is your comedy. I’m telling you I haven’t been moved by an act like this up until this moment.

Howie’s comments and subsequent award of the #GoldenBuzzer brought Drew to his knees. He covered his face and released tears of what I imagine were a mixture of joy, relief, hope, and gratitude. It was thrilling to watch, but that victorious moment was only possible because he chose to keep moving toward the light.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch Drew’s audition via the link below. When  you’re through wiping your eyes and blowing your nose, come on back and share your comments below. And don’t forget…”you can turn anything into a positive!”

Photo credit: eschipul / Foter / CC BY-SA