Forgiveness

"Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' "  
(Luke 23:34)
Image courtesy of www.ramdass.org



"Christ, you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me."

So goes the chorus of the John Lennon classic, "The Ballad of John and Yoko."

And it's a lyric that resonates at some point with just about anyone. Because there will come that time when it seems the forces in one's world are conspiring against her. When, in response, a person needs to have the courage of her convictions -- that moment of undeniable clarity when she knows she must do what she does not want to do. For doing what is needed will likely incur great personal cost -- seemingly all that she has.

Understandably, such a moment can be extremely taxing and visible and lonely. But it can also be a time of sublime grace, as we perhaps connect with Our Savior and His cross for the first time in any visceral way. As we come to understand -- maybe for the first time -- what it really means to "have our own cross to bear."

At times such as these, we are wise to follow the age-old counsel to "take up your cross and follow Christ." And in particular, to follow Christ's story and Christ's example of how He perceived and bore His cross in order to gain guidance and support in bearing our own.

For example, from the passion of Christ we come to understand:
1) That not everything is fair or just
2) That betrayal perhaps hurts the most
3) That leaders and their motives are often misunderstood
4) That ignorance prevails more oft' than it should
5) That we are asked to take on more than we feel we can bear
6) That despite all this, our Lord is there!

Yes, we can (and we should) take great comfort in knowing we have a God who does understand how it feels -- that we are not alone. In fact, we probably are never more supported or "carried" than in times such as these. So, yes, John Lennon, Christ does know "it ain't easy," and, yes, Christ does know "how hard it can be." And that's why Christ's example of humbly embracing a cross He did not earn yet amazingly accepted with a loving, merciful, and forgiving heart is even more convicting to those who strive to tred His path. The sublime strength of will and humility of heart to express -- amid great personal suffering -- "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" is something to truly amaze, marvel, and deeply ponder. . . .

Do we possess comparable strength of soul to raise a similar prayer from our forgiving hearts for those associated with the crosses we must bare in this world?

For perhaps our biggest takeaway from Christ's example is that it never really was about the suffering or the injustice or the misunderstandings anyway. Those are all just part of the human condition on this planet it seems. No, the major understanding that we need to derive from even our most challenging moments is this:  that when all is said and done, love and mercy and forgiveness prevail.  
________________
Dear Lord,
It is so easy to play the role of victim and overlook my own contributions to the problems at hand in my life and in this world. Please help me to see with Your eyes and take steps down Your path, so that, in even in my most severe of trials, I can see those around me not so much as adversaries but rightly as Your Children and My Brothers and Sisters. Despite our differences or offenses -- real or perceived --  please help me to cultivate a forgiving, merciful, and loving heart so that I may live ever more in peace and joy, and so that You may increasingly use me as an instrument of Your ongoing love letter to the world.  

In Your Mighty Name, I pray.
Amen.

Vulnerability

"Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and being born in human likeness." (Philippians 2:6)

Like many of my generation, Bruce Springsteen (aka "the Boss") had a uniquely formative influence, resonating in countless ways and shaping how I view the human experience. A common figure in a typical Boss song is a tragic everyday "hero" -- a sort of everyman down on his luck, who is torn between the tension of needing to present a tough face to the world while underneath facing the reality of his own human shortcomings and seeing love as the only saving grace for a wandering soul on this cold, hard planet.

For example, in his iconic "Born to Run," the song's hero describes his plight as a "tramp. . . out on the wire" who needs to "spring from cages" and the "death traps" that plague his place in this world. But despite the challenges of his predicament, the hero contends that "together we could break this trap" and so he makes both a bold invitation and an equally bold admission:

     "Will you walk with me out on the wire?
      'Cause I'm just a scared and lonely rider"
 
As leaders, how many of us are that honest?  How many of us make ourselves that vulnerable -- boldly admitting that we are also "scared and lonely" and then pairing this divulgence with a bold invitation to come join us "out on the wire"?

Such naked honesty and vulnerability to this degree is not the norm.  For example, in the world described in "Born to Run" "girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors and the boys try to look so hard." In the day to day of leading and living, there typically seems a similar preoccupation with appearance and projected toughness -- being on top of one's game, being "in control."  That's what we have come to expect from leadership. That's what leadership is, right?

But in the passage above from Philippians, Peter describes a radically different kind of leadership -- in many ways as radically different today as it was 2,000 years ago. A leader who empties himself, takes the form of a servant, makes himself vulnerable, and thus has his humanity arise.

These are hard concepts for a "scared and lonely" leader to come to.  As Richard Rohr so succinctly explains, "We like control; God it seems likes vulnerabilty."  Therefore, we often cling to the notion that leadership is about authority, control, and power over others.  Whereas true leadership, as exemplified by Christ, is really about letting go, emptying ourselves of our selves so that we can be real with our people, take on the servant's stance, and watch our own humanity and community rise as a result.

And thus, in the emptying of our pretenses, in the pairing of our bold admission alongside our bold invitation, we create conditions for a coming together and convey two powerful messages in the process:  (A) courage is not the absence of fear but the overcoming of it and (B) together, we have the strength to overcome anything we face.

So, will you walk with me out on the wire?
________________

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the many ways that You guide my steps. Among those lessons, thank you for Your example of bold invitation and courageous vulnerability, a way of leading and living that changed the world!  I pray that You will give me the courage and grace and humility to walk a similar path. In that fashion, help me to empty myself of my self, my ego, and my ambition, so that I can be filled fully by the Holy Spirit in all that I do.  

And in my daily leading and living, let me exemplify for others the refrain of Your classic hymn:
       "Will you let me be your servant?
         Let me be as Christ to you
         Pray that I might have the grace
         To let you be my servant too."

"In the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray."
Amen.

Let Your Light Shine

"Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  
             (Matthew 5:15-16)
                     Image courtesy of brown skinned girl

It's easy -- even popular -- to be a cynic these days. Pick a side on the ongoing debate, furrow your brow, unload your opinions, point your finger vigorously, and jump into the fray. You will find many like-minded friends.

It's harder -- often unpopular -- to be an optimist. Attempt to inject some understanding, compassion, or hope into the argument and see how quickly you can be written off as naive, misguided, or "not one of us!" Therefore, even if we harbor such a perspective, given the current social and political climate, our protective instincts may have us hold such views close to the vest or, as the Matthew passage describes, "under a basket." It's just easier that way.

But that's not the way we are to live. We need to be children of light, and we are called to share this light with the world around us.

And our foundation of faith in Christ is both reason for our uncommon view on matters and strength for living that viewpoint out confidently in society at large.

For rooted in God, we can be at peace with the paradoxes and shortcomings of this world and largely immune to the crowd thinking and its false promises. And in so doing, we can let go of the fear that might otherwise obscure our light -- a concept not only expounded in the passage above from Matthew but also by Nelson Mandela in his 1994 inauguration speech upon assuming the presidency of South Africa:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the World.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

So trust, believe, make manifest the glory of God within you and be heartened by the way your simple witness and daily living, over time, lifts up others.  Let your light shine!
___________________
Dear Lord,
Being an optimist in this world  is not easy. But as Christians living out our beliefs, we really have no other choice. So let us continually live out our faith vigorously, thereby giving testament through our daily words and actions that, in Christ, the battle is already won and the victory is already assured.
In Your Almighty name, we pray.
Amen.

Affirmation

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."  
(Philippians 4:13)









During my early days as an aspiring teacher decades ago, a "tip" I frequently heard from cagey veterans was, "Don't let your students see you smile until Christmas." I took this as hyperbole at the time, some sort of overstatement by experienced hands trying to convey the importance for a teacher to establish a well managed, orderly classroom environment. But the frequency with which I heard this, even as hyperbole, in my new profession helped me understand over time why so many students often felt turned off -- rather than inspired -- by school. It also made me wonder how in the world educators who held to such beliefs thought that they could somehow later "flip the switch" to create a lively and engaging setting for bringing out the best in their students when the stale classroom climate die had already been cast months prior.

And of course the switch almost assuredly never did flip. For this mantra comes from some deep place in the speaker, from a core belief in order and control rather than in faith and trust -- and a belief to such degree in the importance of control is hard to ever let go! To be sure, this mindset positions the teacher as the doler out of knowledge and the sole source of order for the classroom domain through the power of the position, which unfortunately then leads to the energy of the classroom being too often used to maintain that position of power rather than in the building up of others.

In contrast, high-impact educators hold a different belief. They understand that while an orderly classroom environment is certainly important, it must also be welcoming, inclusive, and nurturing. And, rather than cling to power and control, high-impact educators take many efforts in the early days of the school year to empower and partner with students to build a strong environment for building up themselves and others. So from its very genesis, this classroom climate is an orderly -- but also an affirming -- place. For the high-impact educator holds the deep-seated belief that the building up of knowledge itself is never enough; it needs to be paired with the development of confidence so that the learner can increasingly gain and share the fruits of learning and insight in a world greatly in need of them.

In many ways, this mindset of the high-impact educator seems aligned well with the passage above from Philippians: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." People working from this mindset embody in both word and action high expectations for self and others, conveying that effort matters and that the fruits of our efforts can be virtually limitless. It's a very affirming stance to take, aimed at development and growth -- an empowering stance that simultaneously helps ourselves and others connect to the real source of that power.

Many of us have been products of a different mindset, though, where we may have been conditioned to focus on the negative in ourselves and in others. Through such negative messaging, we stifle potential and limit the original blessing that we have all received. Father Richard Rohr of the Center for Action and Contemplation provides some simple, practical, yet very powerful means to make the transition to a more affirming and growth-oriented mindset, an approach which turns such unproductive messages on their head:

"Think of a negative phrase that you have said aloud or thought to yourself that stems from a sense of shame rather than from your inherent dignity. Turn it upside down and say, in first person, present tense, an affirmation of your God-given value. For example:
      I am unlovable. . . . I am infinitely loved.
      I don't have enough. . . . I have everything I need.
      I am stupid. . . . I have the mind of Christ.
      I am worthless. . . I am precious in God's eyes, I am honored, and God loves me.

Repeat the positive statement, aloud, slowly, with intention and trust, several times. Then rest silently in the awareness that you are already and forever, without any effort or achievement on your part, a beloved child of God."
___________________
Dear Lord, 
Thank you for the many gifts you provide. Among those gifts most cherished, thank you for making me precious in Your eyes, infinitely honored, infinitely loved. Help me to cultivate in myself and in others a deep and abiding peace that arises from the understanding that we are each a beloved child of God. And please let the power of today's passage settle deeply into my core so that this belief can guide my daily thoughts and actions: "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
In Your Almighty Name, I pray,
Amen.

Patience

"... let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1)

Image courtesy of toddshields.wordpress.com


"Let's get movin'!"
"Come on already!"
"We don't have all day!"
"Let's goooooo!"

My words -- far too many times. The words of impatience.

Sometimes as a leader, I need to justifiably motivate others, create some urgency. So it's not that such language is inherently bad. And like many leaders, I consider myself a do-er. So the more we sit around and talk about things, the more it can feel like we are just letting time slip away. (We are burning daylight, people!!) But it is easy to have such words -- and the indignant mindset that can often accompany them -- become commonplace in daily living, crossing over quickly into frustration with others or with events or with myself because we are not working within MY timeline or MY agenda.

I get called up short on this whenever I reflect upon Galations 5:22, where the Bible praises patience as a fruit of the spirit. In other words, if I truly am becoming more like my Maker over time through the work of the Holy Spirit, people should increasingly see me being the patient man I aspire to be, rather than the impatient one I have been or too often still am. But old habits die hard. Even to the degree, ironically, that I can get impatient with myself about not becoming more patient!

This brings us to the passage above, where the word patience can initially seem an odd fit for someone who is running a race. That's because we often connote patience with some type of passive waiting or gentle tolerance. But in the above passage, the runner does not passively wait for slow-pokes or gently tolerate cheaters. No, a Christian runs the race by persevering through difficulties. In the Bible, patience is persevering towards a goal, enduring trials, or expectantly waiting for a promise to be fulfilled. It's a very active, robust sort of patience. (https://gotquestions.org/Bible-patience.html)

And here's the heart of the matter. Oftentimes the biggest barriers that I face in my "race to the finish" are ones of my own making, with my own impatience  as a major impediment -- impatience which is often rooted (if I'm being totally honest with myself) in my own feelings of inadequacy, fear, or overwhelming in taking on the situation at hand. Not trusting that God will provide me all that is needed for HIS plan to work out perfectly within HIS timeline if I am simply willing enough to give up "control" of all of these concerns and place them in His hands, rather than in my own.

So the overall question for ongoing reflection:  Can I lay aside all the obtacles and shortcomings that can distract and entangle me in my daily living so that I can remain fixed on the final goal? In other words, can I place my trust and patience in He who holds the keys to the eternal, knowing that, in the end -- in God's hands and in God's time -- all is well!
__________________
Dear Lord,
Creator of all that is, thank You for Your boundless gifts, but particularly for the infinite patience and grace that You bestow upon me, though I come up short time and time again. May the patience You model help me to grow in patience with others and with myself. And may the patience that I aim to increasingly reveal to the world be the active, robust sort of patience which endures trials that arise, persevering to the very end, trusting that You have allotted sufficient time to accomplish ALL in Your plan, including whatever contributions You might have in store for me in the final resolution.
In Your Almighty and All-Loving Name, I pray and place my trust.
Amen.

Embracing Trial

"Then Jesus told His disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.' "
(Matthew 16:24)
Image courtesy of www.ramdass.org
"Christ, you know it ain't easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They're going to crucify me."

So goes the chorus of the John Lennon classic, "The Ballad of John and Yoko."

And it's a lyric that -- even in its overstatement -- resonates at some point with just about any leader worth her salt.  Because there will come that time when a leader needs to have the courage of her convictions -- that moment of undeniable clarity when she knows she must do what she does not want to do. For doing what is needed will likely incur great personal cost -- perhaps even all that she has.

Understandably, such a moment can be extremely taxing and visible and lonely. But it can also be a time of sublime grace, as we perhaps connect with Our Savior and His cross for the first time in any visceral way. As we come to understand -- maybe for the first time -- what it really means to "have our cross to bear."

At times such as these, we are wise to follow the age-old counsel to "take up your cross and follow Christ." And in particular, to follow Christ's story and follow Christ's example of how He bore His cross in order to gain guidance and support in the bearing of our own trials.

For example, when we follow Christ's story, we quickly find many areas of likely resonance for our own:
1) That leaders and motives get misunderstood
2) That ignorance prevails more times than it should
3) That our biggest trials can be neither just nor fair
4) That we need to take on more than we think we can bear
5) That betrayal of a good friend perhaps hurts the most

Yes, even amidst our greatest trials, by following Christ's story, we can take great comfort in knowing that we have a God who has been there, who does understand how it feels, so that we are never alone. Truth be told, we probably are never more understood, more supported, or more "carried" than in times of our greatest trial. And therein lies the grace.

But perhaps our biggest takeaway from Christ's example is that it was never really about the suffering or about the injustice or about the misundertandings anyway. Those are all just part of the human experience on this planet.

To be sure, when we follow Christ's example amidst trial,...
1) We are strengthened to take on whatever we face
2) Through faith in our Lord, our cross embrace
3) Knowing that trials are a portion of the pilgrim's trail
4) That in the ultimate triumph, God will not fail
5) That -- above all -- love and mercy prevail!
______________________

Dear Lord, 
Creator of all there is, help me to be thankful for all that you provide, even those events and people that seemingly represent my greatest trials. Help me to follow Your example and embrace my cross, therein being an instrument of Your peace, an embodiment of Your faithfulness, and an agent of Your love and mercy for a world in desparate need.
In Your Almighty Name, I pray.
Amen.

Inspiration

"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rush of a mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."  (Acts 2:1-4)            Image courtesy of www.redbubble.com

In their classic of management literature (Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It), Kouzes and Posner cite three critical traits for developing leadership credibility: honesty, competence, and the ability to inspire. Of these three, the most daunting always seems to me to be the third one -- the ability to inspire others. That one seems to be the most outside my control. And just who am I to think that I could influence or move some one else emotionally or spiritually anyway?

When such fears and doubts arise, I often find myself coming back to this passage, which shows the arrival of the Holy Spirit to the apostles after Christ's death. Just like other leaders, the apostles had big work to do; they surely had their doubts; they knew there would be significant opposition along their journey. But they were not alone. Jesus had told them: "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever." (John 14:16).

And now we have this same advocate, the Holy Spirit, if we simply ask for His help.

But how do we best prepare ourselves to make the most of His assistance?

D.L. Moody, 19th century evangelist and founder of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, wrote one of the more convicting passages I have ever encountered regarding the process for being filled by the Spirit so that we can do inspiring work with and for others:

"I firmly believe that the moment our hearts are emptied of selfishness and ambition and self-seeking and everything that is contrary to God’s law, the Holy Spirit will come and fill every corner of our hearts; but if we are full of pride and conceit, ambition and self-seeking, pleasure and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. I also believe that many a man is praying to God to fill him, when he is full already with something else. Before we pray that God would fill us, I believe we ought to pray that He would empty us. There must be an emptying before there can be a filling; and when the heart is turned upside down, and everything that is contrary to God is turned out, then the Spirit will come….”

It can be very disconcerting for leaders, so deep in our convictions, to let go of so much that we have clung to for so long. But Moody reminds us -- exhorts us through his simple logic -- to come to grips that letting go first is the only way.  This is the pilgrim's journey. This is how we become His instrument. This is how we truly are filled with the stuff that moves men and women to levels of inspiration and action trandscending human limits.

Therefore, Moody's conviction remains: Can we empty ourselves of our own hang-ups and limitations so that we can be filled with the boundless possibilities of the Almighty?

That may be our biggest leadership and personal challenge of this day -- and of every day!
__________
Dear Lord,
Thank you for Your many gifts in my life.  Among those, thank you for sending an advocate, the Holy Spirit, to those who ask for His help.  To this end, help me to empty myself of myself so that I may be filled with Your Spirit and, in so doing, can fully play my part in serving, with others, Your children in ways that transcend human limitations, until one day when we are all called home with You.
In Your name, I pray.  Amen.