Can I Jump from Here?

From the desk of James Dodwell, Hammers of Hope

James is a good friend to AmTech.  He is allowing us to share his leadership stories that start our day. I hope you enjoy.

Good Morning,

“Hey! Dad, can I jump from here?” was the statement that made me stop and take notice of the activities of our neighbor. We were both working outside, beautifying our homes. Our neighbor had his two oldest boys atop the house removing pine straw from the valleys and clearing the gutters. I was doing the same thing but from a ladder on the ground. The older I get the more cautious I have become about edges and distance from the ground. However, the announcement of “Can I jump from here?” caused me to pause and reflect for a moment, on the days when I didn’t think twice about leaping from a roof edge to the ground or jumping a ditch or climbing a ladder. You know, the good old days.

It also reminded me of a story about taking chances. There were two, not so honest, men who were in desperate need of cash but admittedly were a bit cowardly. One of the suggested they break into an Amish market. The logic was that since the Amish were non-resistant, even if they were caught, no harm would befall them. So they carried out the plot. As they were just breaking into the cash register, the owner turned on the lights and confronted them, a shotgun pointed directly at them. The Amish man said, “Boys, I would never do thee any harm, yet you are standing where I am about to shoot.”

“Can I jump from here?” This is life. We sometimes take shortcuts to get to where we want to be in our life journey. We think things aren’t moving fast enough or they are moving in a direction we had not planned to go, so we “jump from here” to arrive sooner. Sooner isn’t always better. Sooner isn’t always what we need. Sooner isn’t as good as we thought it would be. I am not saying taking the quicker way is not good, because, on occasions, it is actually the better path; however we need to make sure we are prepared.

There have been times in my life when I thought I was ready for the next step. I felt prepared, I knew what to do, I had the ability and the talent, but it didn’t happen for me. I was disappointed, resentful, and even angry, not at anyone in particular, just had those emotions welling up inside and it made me bitter. What I came to realize is those immature emotions I was feeling is the very reason the opportunity slipped through my hands. Just because I had the training, talent and job skills, didn’t make me the best candidate. The most important piece needed was missing… the maturity to utilized and share the skill sets, unselfishly with others on the team.

As leaders in our homes, churches, and communities, we need to understand it takes time to build relationships, trust, character, integrity and respect. We don’t just “jump from here” into a person of influence with character and integrity. These values have to be molded and shaped as clay on a potter’s wheel. These are shaped by living them first and molded by practicing them each day in all areas of our life, public and private. This is an ongoing process, constantly changing as we mature into the person we want to become and are meant to be.

I encourage us take the time and consider where we are in our personal growth plan before “jumping from here to there.” Be honest with your self-evaluation. Talk with the people who you consider as mentors. Tell them your plans for stretching and growing and allow them to help manage the potter’s wheel as you are molded and shaped into the person you want to become. Then, as we mature into people of influence, we can better help mentor others by making a difference in their lives. Isaiah 64:8