From James Dodwell - Hammers of Hope
Good Morning,
Moses traveled the desert for forty years which just happens
to be the same amount of time is has been since our high school class
graduated. Moses task was a little more daunting than ours; lead the people out
of Egypt, across the desert and into a new land, our task was for us to lead
ourselves into new life and new lands with courage and be fruitful in our
future endeavors.
Our fortieth class reunion was held this weekend and from
all indications, we have made the journey well. It was good to see the smiling
faces of all who attended. The years have been kind to everyone, there wasn’t
anyone in the group who had changed so much no one recognized them. Sure there
are a few more white hairs of wisdom, and a few more wrinkles of knowledge
among the group but overall everyone pretty much was the same. Some came from
far away, some still reside in the area and it was like, old times as they say,
however this one was a little different instead of talking about life
accomplishments and children, we were huddled around each other’s phone looking
at screen shots as we displayed pictures of grandchildren and bragged about
them.
When I think back to how I was then and how I am now, the
changes that occurred on the outside may be slightly noticeable however the
inward changes, changes within, have molded me a into completely different
person, which hopefully is more acceptable. I was selfish, out of control,
pig-headed (which hasn’t changed much), prideful, self-centered, all the things
our parents instructed us against. However, over the years, life experiences,
responsibilities, unconditional love of a spouse, a child and God, with more of
the change coming from being humbled by His love and their love has made me see
things differently and respond in a caring, loving manner to life’s obstacles
and to others. As I looked into the faces of this family of friends and close
relations I was reminded we all stated the journey in very similar place, left
the group at different stops along the way, returned to the path later to find
that most of us have arrived at a better place in our lives; happy with who and
where we are, living the dream and loving every minute of it.
Something John Maxwell said is written on the first page of
one of my journals and I read it at least once a week, “There is a reason today
is called the present, because today is a gift, take it, use it to make a
difference and add value in the lives of others.” We are called to spread the
“fruit of the spirit” by planting seeds of hope, love, joy and faith into the
lives of others. When the seeds grow and blossom they bear fruit. The fruit,
our fruits, are represented with our outward and visible behavior. We, as
leaders, should embrace these good “fruits” and be intentional with sharing as
we lean into the lives others.
We should make sure that our leadership is motivated by love
for people when helping them to stretch and grow to reach their full potential.
We should always exhibit joy, unshakeable joy, regardless of the circumstances.
Our walk should model inward peace because when we are at peace in stressful
situations it provides an opportunity for others to glean the courage to stand
and face those challenges. We should always develop people and goals to help
avoid the longsuffering wait for results. As leasers, we should always promote
kindness with our words and actions as we display caring and understanding to
everyone we meet.
As leaders, we should always want the best for others, in
our organizations, careers, communities, homes and in our places of worship by
modeling goodness. We should be faithful and show faithfulness by remaining
true to our commitments to the mission remembering to keep our character and
integrity always on the forefront of our decisions and actions. We, as leaders,
should project gentleness by keep our strength under control. We should know
there will be times when we have to be tough and make the hard decisions and
sometimes in the same situation we have to know when to be tinder and use the
experience as a teachable moment to lift others to a new level of
understanding. As leaders, we must always practice self-control. Disciplines in
our lives develop into our principles and values that radiate out to others
clarifying what we stand for and what is important. The self-control and
discipline helps not only others but us, as we move forward toward our
development as a better leader helping us stretch and grow ourselves to reach
our full potential.
I encourage each of us to know today is called the present,
because today is a gift to take the opportunity to reach others as we share
“the fruits of the spirit” through our actions, reactions to life’s daily
challenges. It will make a difference and add value to others and to us. Galatians
5:22-23
No comments:
Post a Comment