A Servant Spirit

Have you noticed that whenever we have one of our Atlantic or Gulf Coast hurricanes that the news organizations send "no-name" reporters to cover the event? It is seldom a prominent news anchor standing out there, holding on for dear life, and getting beaten by wind and rain. It’s the women and men you’ve never heard of who get these assignments.

 I can hear their bosses now as they send them into harm’s way: "I’m about to give you a great professional opportunity. You will be on national television. You will be broadcasting live from the eye of the storm."

And where are news assignment managers and the prominent news anchors? Back in the safety of the New York studio.

Here’s the point: Don’t ever send someone else to do something you think you are above doing yourself. The primary prerequisite for leadership is a servant spirit.

Stop Look Listen

When I was a boy, most railroad crossing signs had three words printed on them: "STOP. LOOK. LISTEN." These commands were intended to keep people from being killed by passing trains, but on a spiritual level, we would all live better lives if we could learn to observe these three words.

"Stop." Each of us needs to take stock every now and then. We tend to put the wrong things at the top of the list and to get our values out of focus. The problem is we do not know it unless we stop long enough to think.

"Look." We need to open our eyes to the pageant of the seasons, to the miracles of death and resurrection that are unfolding around us all the time. We miss the drama of life because we live with our eyes shut.

"Listen." Every wind is Tchaikovsky; every rain is Chopin; every stream is Beethoven – if we would listen.

"Stop. Look. Listen:" Three good words for today.

Black Holes

More than thirty years ago, Cambridge astro-physicist, Stephen Hawkins, discovered "black holes" in space. He said the gravitational pull of these collapsed stars was so great that matter could not escape from their vast celestial vortexes. Hawkins even wondered if black holes were not some sort of passageway into a rival solar system. He pondered whether matter might be able to float back and forth between solar systems.

 But in 2004, Hawkins changed his mind. He now says matter cannot disappear,even in a black hole. Particles that enter black holes always reappear, even though the re-emerged material will be in an altered form.

Sometimes we humans find ourselves sucked into spiritual black holes. The light dies out. We feel ourselves pulled into inescapable darkness. We fear we will never find our way out. The good news is we can, but when we re-emerge, we are altered. We are wiser, braver, and humbler. And we see reality more clearly.

Poor George

Now and then, the ushers at our church find interesting notes left behind in pews or hymnals. They are written on the backs of envelopes or on scraps of left over bulletins.

Here are samples of notes found recently:

 "Do you love George?"

 "No."

 "Then why do you keep going out with him?"

 "Cause no one else ever asks me."

 Poor George.

 How about this note:

"Is he ever going to quit?"

I think that one is about me.

 But this is my favorite one:

"He makes me want to believe I can be a better person."

 I hope that one is about me.

That would be a pretty neat epitaph, wouldn’t it? "He or she made people want to believe they could be a better person." That’s about as big a compliment as someone could ever give you.

Encouragement

In recent years, folks have discovered the children’s books of two twentieth century British writers: C. S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, and J. R. R. Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings.

 Lewis and Tolkien were English literature professors and lifelong friends at Oxford University.

 Lewis began publishing his stories early in his career. Tolkien did not think his stories were worthy of print. It was through Lewis' encouragement that Tolkien submitted his stories for publication.

 But Tolkien made a big contribution to Lewis' life, too. It was through his friend's encouragement that Lewis moved from atheist to believer.

 Encouragement is a precious gift. When we give it to the people around us, miraculous things can happen. Through encouragement, they can do things which otherwise would have been impossible.

Don't get suckered into believing too little

P. T. Barnum of circus fame is often quoted as saying, "There is a sucker born every minute." While we all know what he was talking about – there are some pretty gullible people around - it is sad that Mr. Barnum had such a cynical attitude toward his customers.

 But P. T. Barnum also made an astute observation about faith. He said, "More people are fooled into believing too little than are fooled into believing too much." I think he was right.

 Don’t get suckered into believing too little. I know it is popular to be skeptical, and it sounds intellectual to be doubtful. But don’t let your questions steal from you the wonder and the joy of belief. If you must err, then err on the side of believing too much.

 By nature, I’m a doubter. Belief comes hard for me. But I’ve discovered that doubt locks me up in a dark room. Belief opens the door and turns on the lights.

Hard Times

The other day I talked to a man who has been through hell in recent years. He has experienced difficulty and loss in virtually every area of his life. He has suffered physically, relationally, and vocationally.

 I asked him, “What has life taught you in recent years?” His answer gave me a lot to think about. He said, “The trauma I have gone through has taught me what is important and what is not.”

 What a tremendous thing to learn, even if pain was the teacher.

 I have always believed that the only bad pain is wasted pain – pain that doesn’t get turned and used for good in our lives.

Have you been through a hard time? If so, what lessons did you learn form it? If you could learn what is important in life and what is not, your pain would have been worth it