Character 3: Looking Foolish

Recently I did something that made me look foolish in the eyes of some.

Intellectually, I have no regrets. It was the right thing to do.

Yet, I feel lingering embarrassment. Why is that?

And why am I reluctant to tell you what I did?

A colleague of mine, Doug, regularly places himself in risky ministry situations. Emotionally risky, that is. Often he comes off looking silly, then laughs at himself.

Maybe it's not that simple, however. At a seminar this summer, I saw him attempt an unscripted role-play in front of 60 peers. It bombed and Doug felt bad.

I and about 59 others were blessed, however -- and challenged, deeply, to follow his example.

******

OK, here's what I did. You pried it out of me:

At the end of a sermon I gave to a congregation of 700, I fell to my knees and begged them to get involved in the ministries of their own church, and not sit on the sidelines.

No big deal, right?

I know. That's what I keep telling myself.

Character 2: My Word

I married a person who's very precise about keeping her word.

She comes from a family that keeps its word. When they say they'll do something, the "something" will get done. 

"You can use my car that week" means: you actually can.

"I'll call you on Thursday" means: expect a call that day. Really.

I realize some people make promises to save the moment and make everyone feel good. This can result in disappointment down the road. 

Thus, "I'll be there for you" in your divorce or brush with the law or financial hardship or debilitating disease may very well mean nothing.

Idle commitments. Sentimental assurances. These do not impress me, especially when I hear them from my own lips.

Jesus had something to say about this:   


There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”  (Matt 21:28-31)

***

I wish to be a person who keeps his word, perhaps beyond.

p.s. to Sarah: I will edit those docs -- as promised

photo credit http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Galician_vineyard_with_wide_vine_spacing.jpg

Character 1: Honesty

I heard my friend Val tell this arresting story at a seminar this summer:

Years ago, as a high school senior she'd been crossing a few ethical and life-style lines.

One was this:

Her parents kept cash in an envelop in the house, and she'd gotten into the habit of dipping in and helping herself -- without her parents' knowledge or permission.

Suspecting something was amiss, her folks began checking the balance in the envelope on a regular basis, then confronted Val with their findings.

The timing was awkward: in three weeks she was due to leave the nest for college. This was the culmination of her childhood. She'd been caught red-handed.

Her mom and dad drove her to college and moved her into the dorms. The last thing her father said was this:

Val, we've never worried about what you'd do in life. We know you'll be successful. What we're concerned about is who you're becoming as a person.

Then her folks left.

Val has told this story a hundred times in public. For some reason on this particular occasion, in a seminar where I sat spellbound, she cried. The memory was sharp, the pain still fresh, two decades after the matter.

***

I wonder at times who I'm becoming.

And you?


graphic credit: http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/cinema4d-graduation-cap/497227