I’m sure that Dad often wished he could have accomplished and accumulated more yet he never seemed discouraged by his circumstances. I learned that being strong isn’t measured by how stoic and brave one can be but rather by the depth of one’s love and capacity to empathize with others. Tears shed in an unassuming way are a wonderful gift. Early in my life I learned that it’s okay for a man to show emotion in private and in public.
THE BOLDNESS COLLABORATORY FOR SOCIAL TRUST HOW TO
A listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, a place to return to - these are the gifts every parent has to offer regardless of age or station in life.ĭad taught me how to be vulnerable or rather he modeled it for me. Every parent probably expects too much from their children and fails to appreciate what is already there just waiting to be noticed.Ī father’s love is less about doing something for your children and more about being someone they can emulate and learn from. In my own role as father I am acutely aware of the need to be more generous with my time, to fight the urge to fix things, and to wait patiently when I would rather be taking action.
Others have become more apparent with age, like how to endure the pain of loss and disappointment or the challenge of forgiveness. Some were obvious to me as I was growing up, like the importance of working hard and the value of telling the truth. My Dad has taught me many invaluable life lessons. By creating safe places to identify our fears we can face them with confidence and generate better outcomes.Īs we hold up in our prayers all those affected by the tragedy in Newtown, let us also pray that our own fears will remind us to lead with love and gentleness. We need gentle leaders who model vulnerability and share their own fears with us. Fiscal cliffs, threats of job loss, random acts of violence, and so much more are predicted or occurring every day. There is plenty for all of us to worry about. When we disconnect the energy of fear from our experiences we can choose a different response. We need to act in love and deep concern for the other person, regardless of how they may have treated us. It’s too easy to project our own fears onto others or allow our fears to energize us in other unhelpful ways.įacing our fears requires a gentleness of spirit. I wonder how many of us will listen and act?įor those trying to make sense of last week’s events, fear may cloud judgment as they seek to place blame or prevent future acts of mass violence. Micah’s prophetic message is needed now more than ever. Acts of justice, kindness, and humility are proof that faith is alive that, in spite of evil, humankind can live differently when God is allowed to influence us. In a world where violence, fear, economic uncertainty, famine, and so much more seems destined to control our futures, these words offer hope and a prescription for redemption. Imagine if leaders, and each of us, made this simple message our 2012 Christmas wish? What would happen in our workplaces if justice, kindness, and humility were practiced regularly? How might our families and communities be transformed if these principles and characteristics permeated our behavior with each other? Several thousand years ago, a minor prophet named Micah delivered a very different wish when he wrote, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Let’s make the New Year our stage for modeling reconciliation instead of offering more empty resolutions. I wish for political leaders who would focus less on winning and more on telling the truth and doing the right thing for the country.
My wish for 2013 is that leaders, and their followers, would make a new commitment to reconciliation - between themselves and their teams, between their business and its customers, and between the co-workers who show up to serve every day. Reconciliation pushes the concept of resolutions to a new level. We cannot simply promise to behave differently, we must actually live that way. Reconciliation also implies congruence between our inner lives and our outward selves. Perhaps one reason we resist reconciliation is because it involves confession and forgiveness, a willingness to be vulnerable and open about our shortcomings. On a practical level, reconciliation offers a chance at a new relationship whether it is between two persons or God and humankind. The dictionary defines reconciliation as the reestablishment of friendly relations and includes a theological reference to the end of estrangement between a human and God. In the midst of all this turmoil it seems we need more reconciliation and less resolutions for 2013.
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