I started the post below on October 1, but then there was
Vegas so I changed my Monday post.
Today is October 1, though
this will post on October 2. On October 31, the Lord willing, I will “retire.”
Not retire from life, hardly that for I look forward to many people and to more
time with Vickie and to more special time with the Trinity, but retire from my
primary business career. As Reepicheep would say, “Let’s take the adventure
that Aslan gives us!”
The words of the leaders of
Israel to their people come to mind, “…you have not passed this way before”
(Joshua 3:4). Just as the Israelites followed the Ark of the Covenant I hope
that I will follow the Presence of God and His Word in this new season of life.
Traveling to a new land (even if you’ve seen images of it and read accounts of
it) has its particular experiences – nothing is quite like actually being
there, walking there, taking in its sights and smells and sounds. While I, of
course, know “retired” folks I have not lived in land. But first I must journey
to the Jordan and that means traveling to the edge of the land I am in, and it
means finishing well and being a blessing to those around me.
Once I cross the Jordan I will
look back at those still in the work-land and we will visit no doubt and talk
and perhaps share memories, but it will be different. Not that work will cease
for me, I look forward to a focused time of creativity, I am excited about
that.
I may have mentioned this
somewhere in a previous post, but one of the changes in me that has occurred in
this season of life is that I have come not to just care about, but to love the
people who work for me. Does this mean that in times past I did not love
others? I don’t mean to say that, but I do mean to say that. Perhaps it is the “quality”
or “nature” of the love that is different. Perhaps it has just taken this long
for the wine to mature in the cask.
While my love has deepened, so
I think has my firmness in requiring accountability and my readiness to quickly
hold the people I love (and others) accountable. I am less likely to take the
long way around to get to the point on accountability. I have always been able
to be direct, but I am direct more often. I think part of that is that for the
past few years I’ve known that eventually October 31 would come (though I haven’t
known the date) and that I’ve needed to do my best not to waste time in
developing my folks.
One of my role models in all
of this has been my friend Debby Eure. Debby will never know how much she has
affected the inner workings of my heart when it comes to caring for people and
loving them. Vickie and I are deeply thankful for our friendship with her. She
is a model of constancy; constancy is a rare gem.
If you will permit me to move
in another direction…
I have known for a while that
one reason I have been able to serve my clients well is that I don’t care about
how much money they have or what material things they have or about their
social standing or other positions of authority – I am not impressed by it. I
truly believe that if we are going to “glory” that we ought to “glory/boast in
the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31; Jeremiah 9:23). So while I have other “issues”
in my life and character development, generally speaking envy is not one of
them.
My view of client
relationships is pretty simple, I am serving Christ first in my position and my
work is to be a form of worship (Colossians 4:22 – 25) and that I am a steward
of whatever position of trust I hold – a steward first to God and then to
others; I am called to be a blessing to those around me. This means, of course,
that I am called to tell the truth – I think there are clients who are not used
to that; some can work with it and others can’t; the same is true for people I
have worked for.
Interestingly some of the
toughest people I’ve worked for and some of my toughest clients have been able
to work with the truth – telling the truth to them could be like a steel-cage wrestling
match but when we were finished we seemed to come out fine. In reflection they
tended to be people who had a fairly good sense of self-definition.
On the other hand there have
been those who were offended. The representative of one financial institution
got to the place where he didn’t want to communicate with me at all – I wasn’t
telling him what he wanted to tell his superiors. Then there was the time I had
a chat with the chairman of the board of a firm I worked for and suggested to
him that he treat his daughter (who worked in my department) with more
consideration, that a kind word now and again would go a long way…sadly he
responded by telling me “Why I have never even thrown a ball with any of my
children and I’m not going to start now.” Well, since you can only do what you
can do you should do what you can do - I did what I could.
I am impressed by people who
give to other people, who give themselves. I am also impressed by artists – not
all of them, but many of them. Bach or Mozart – I am impressed. When I behold
the painting of my friend David Zuck I am impressed. They are bringing beauty
into the world, or capturing the beauty that is already here and passing it on;
whether on canvass or in the music of the spheres. I am impressed when one of
my managers thinks about her staff and helps develop them. I am impressed when
my team works through problems together and comes out stronger and with a
clearer sense of who they are.
This life doesn’t last
forever. Now some people may read that and think that they have to grab
everything they can now. But others of us know that we have eternity in Jesus
Christ ahead of us and that the beauties that will unfold will amaze us and
stagger us and be filled with indescribable joy and peace and friendship and
love. I feel badly for folks who seek identity and security and recognition in
possessions (I do not mean to indicate that I am not tempted with this, nor
have never sought security in such things) thinking that “He who dies with the
most toys wins.” What a sad and empty and fleeting way to live.
Things are just things…they
really are.
“Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves
break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19 – 21).
Where is our treasure today?
My treasure? Your treasure?
Reepicheep, from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
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