What kind of person are you? Are you dependable; are you a leader, are you one that people can turn to in times of trouble? In thinking about this, I’ve been dwelling on what it means to press into something. Imagine you have some play dough on the table and you take your thumb, and press into it. What happens? Does it all flatten out? Not at all. Only the part you press into compacts under your thumb. The rest of it seems to wrap itself around your thumb, leaving you with a big lump of play dough where your thumb should be. Consider a child that is hurt, or needs the security of a hug when they are in trouble. They don’t just hug you, they squeeze you like they are trying to get as much of you as possible to surround them. Those are the hugs that make me melt, especially when it is one of my kids. The photo above was taken by a friend of ours at a time when my youngest son was playing and was in one of those moods where he just wanted to be close. This photo sits on my desk at work as a reminder of two things, both equally important. The love of my kids, but also the fact that as their father, I am supposed to be one that they can press into when they need comfort, or security or wisdom. Everyone is a leader in some form or another, whether they are at home, in the workplace, at church, or wherever, there is always someone that will look to us as a leader and as leaders we need to be the kinds of people that can be a strength to others, and a support when they need comfort, direction, or even the wisdom of someone else to talk to. Everyone needs someone that they can press into, but let’s keep in mind, that as leaders, we also need to be those kinds of people that are a support to others who look up to us. Have a great week, Adrian
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Whenever he heard someone complain about something trivial, a friend of mine used to say, “Just build a bridge and get over it”. Although this was often said a humourous way, there is a strong message in it if we choose to look at it. What is the purpose for building a bridge? A bridge is a structure spanning and providing passage over a barrier, whether the barrier is an obstacle or a gap. When a bridge exists, the barrier is dwarfed by the bridge. However, without the bridge, the focal point becomes the barrier regardless of how big or small it is. Some barriers look insurmountable. The sheer size of them can be so overwhelming that sometimes we fail to get beyond viewing the viewing of the problem and into the stage of bridge-building. The Bible story of David and Goliath is a good example of this. When David stood before the giant Goliath he could have agreed with the general consensus and said, “He’s so big we can’t hit him”, but he chose to respond with a winners attitude, “He’s so big I can’t miss!” When we stand and face our barrier, we too are faced with two options when it speaks to us (and it will). We will either say, “I will” or “I won’t”, but we need to choose what our response will be. Henry David Thoreau once said, "Never look back unless you are planning to go that way." The next time a problem rises it’s dominating head before you, make the decision that you will face it head on. Then you can build a bridge and get over it. Are you a Hypocrite? Some would be horrified if they were called one, especially if they view themselves as being ones who “Practice what they preach.”
Originally the word ‘hypocrite’ was a term used to describe an actor because they hid behind a mask and pretended to be something they were not. The word ‘Hypocrisy’ comes from two Greek words, ‘hypo’ meaning ‘under’, and ‘krisis’ (crisis) meaning ‘decision’. A crisis today means, “A time of intense difficulty or danger”, but it’s original meaning was “A turning point in the course of a disease”. This turning point was the moment where one of the two variables for the disease (i.e. you get better, or you get worse) was cut off hence the meaning ‘de-cision’. The word incision means to cut into - therefore giving two halves. The word ‘Decision’ means a removal of one of the options. Actors used to hide behind masks when playing their roles. They would act a certain way so that others would believe them to be something which in real life they are not. You are an actor in real life. People naturally come to a decision about you based on the role that you play. By our actions, we cause people to be ‘under decision’. They will end up believing something about us. Whether it be true or false doesn’t matter, they will believe what they perceive. John Maxwell says, “A man who calls himself a leader, but has nobody following him, is just a man out taking a walk.” A good leader therefore is one who is leading people. The title we may have of ‘Leader’ is ultimately given to us by those following us. What will they say about you? We’ve had our son home from school for the last few days. Today as a means of passing the time, he was watching the movie “Cool Runnings” which is a story of four Jamaican men who entered the first Jamaican bobsled team in the 1988 Winter Olympics. Their first days on the track were somewhat of an embarrassment. However, as they days progressed, it soon became obvious that they were becoming a force to be reckoned with.
One scene in the movie I found quite powerful. The captain of the team, Derice Bannock, was so inspired by the Swiss team, that he began to imitate them, psyching his team up the way the Swiss did, counting at the start of a race the way the Swiss did, and pushed his team in the ways of the Swiss so much that they became frustrated and nervous. Because of this, when it came time to race in front of the crowds, they totally fell apart. What turned them around and brought an incredible change in performance and unity within the team was a comment made by one of his teammates at the end of the day when they were debriefing. As he expressed his frustrations, he stated, “I didn’t come up here to forget who I am, and where I come from... If we look Jamaica, walk Jamaica, talk Jamaica, and is Jamaica, the we sure better bobsled as Jamaica”. Sometimes we too can be inspired by the words and actions of others and try to imitate them because they are successful, or are liked by others or are wealthy or whatever else our reasons can be. I remember growing up, my mother would continuously quote famous people that inspired her saying, Gloria says this, or, Joyce says that. I remember asking her one day, “That’s fine mum, but what do you say?” We often imitate others. Many people like to model themselves after famous people. It is both good and necessary to have mentors and coaches who can speak into our lives, but we still need to be genuine to ourselves. One thing we can easily forget (and I’ll personalise this) is that I was created to make a difference. No one can do better than I can, that which God placed me on this earth to do. In the same manner, no one can be a better you, than you can. We can’t make a difference to others while we are trying to be someone else. Be an inspiration to others, rather than an imitator of others. Be true to yourself. You are unique! You are special! Put one foot in front of the other and begin moving forward, because you were created to make a difference in this world. |
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