“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 

A man once sat with a friend listening patiently as he complained bitterly about the troubles in his life. Finally, he spoke. “Look, Joe,” he said, “this is your life, and these are your circumstances. Now, what’s the opportunity?”

It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to imagine just such an exchange occurring at some point in one of ancient history’s most famous stories about a real man named Joe – better known as Joseph – who had every right to complain bitterly about the troubles in his life. Betrayed by his own brothers out of jealousy over the favor shown to him by their father, they sold him into slavery to the Egyptians. And if that were not bad enough, even after finding honest work in that foreign country, once again he was betrayed by the wife of his employer who falsely accused him of impropriety which led to a prison sentence.

It’s at this point where I can imagine Joseph losing it (I surely would have), complaining bitterly to his cellmate about the troubles in his life, and after listening patiently for a while the cellmate issuing a gentle challenge. “Okay, Joe, I get it. But these are the circumstances, now what is the opportunity?” We all know the rest of the story, of course, as Joseph had a unique gift of interpreting dreams, which eventually led to an opportunity to interpret the Pharaoh’s dreams. Joseph went on to become the Pharaoh’s prime minister, the second most powerful person in Egypt, positioning him to reunite and reconcile with his family by saving them from starvation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given us all ample reason to spend our days like the fictional Joe, complaining bitterly about our troubles. Our lives, after all, have been terrifyingly disrupted. The world is changing, and it is changing us. History is happening before our very eyes. Yet, these are the circumstances, so the choice and the challenge before us is to either complain, or to seek out opportunities – and disruptions always present opportunities. So, let us be “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord will be with you wherever you go.” This is our life as it is, and these are the circumstances. Now, what are the opportunities?

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  – Matthew 6:34 

If you are a comic strip reader like me, you may remember this one. . . It was Friday afternoon and Dagwood Bumstead was heading out the door for the weekend.  “Have a nice weekend, boss,” he bids Mr. Dithers.  “You’d better rest up this weekend, my boy,” Dithers responds with a smirk, “Monday morning can’t get here soon enough for me!!”  The next scene shows Dagwood staring glumly out the car window when one of his carpool mates asks, “Do you have any plans for the weekend?”  To which Dagwood replies, “I’ll probably just sit around and dread Monday.”

Can you see yourself in that story?  I do.  I wonder how many precious hours I have wasted in my lifetime sitting around dreading tomorrow?  That’s what is so great about comic strips, how they highlight our own absurdities.  We laugh at poor old Dagwood for how silly he looks, until we realize the joke is on us.  Dagwood is simply holding a mirror up in front of us so that we can see our own folly.  

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  These wise words do not imply that we should not have “concern” about tomorrow, nor deny that trouble may lie ahead.  Rather it says do not “worry” about tomorrow, and there is a distinct difference between worry and concern.  Specifically worry paralyzes us, but concern calls us to action.  Besides, worry can have devastating impacts on us, including damage to our health, causing the object of worry to consume our thoughts, disrupting our productivity, negatively affecting the way we treat others, and perhaps worst of all inhibiting our ability to trust in God.  

Imagine if Dagwood would spend his weekend planning for Monday rather than worrying about it?  Worrying is nothing but time wasted.  But planning is time well spent.  Planning is about thinking ahead, setting goals, determining the steps and scheduling the time – then letting go and trusting God. . . So, thank you Dagwood Bumstead for highlighting our own folly, that we may see God’s wisdom more clearly.

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

• Proverbs 12:25 

When I was fourteen years old I had the opportunity to attend an intense five-week long sports summer camp, and since I would be entering high school that fall, it was great preparation for the new challenge of competing in high school sports. So, for those five weeks I gave it all I had. The last few days of camp were especially intense as we prepared for the final competitive events, even more so because parents would be arriving to watch. I couldn’t wait to show my own parents how much I had grown and improved. Except, at the last minute I received news that my dad had been injured in an accident, prohibiting my parents from traveling. Other arrangements had been made for my transportation back home at the end of camp. Words cannot describe how heartbroken and distraught I was.

In the final track meet I was competing in the 440-yard dash. Although I was not an especially fast runner, I was determined to win that race in honor of my parents, who were also brokenhearted for not being able to attend. So, when the starting gun cracked, I shot out of the blocks like a rocket, maintaining the lead for most of the race. Then, just at the finish line another runner overtook me by half a step. I had never felt such defeat and disappointment in my life. Afterwards, lying face down in the dirt sobbing, I felt two gentle hands on my shoulders lifting me back on my feet. It was one of my dad’s best friends, who then put his arms around me praising my efforts. I’ll never forget his words. “What a competitor you are!” he said. “You ran that race like you’re SOMEBODY!”

Given that we are all more or less quarantined these days with the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve been struggling with what I can do to help those in need since we’re warned not to get too close to anyone. Then it occurred to me how my dad’s friend’s uplifting words had soothed my grieving heart all those years ago, more than any kind act I could ever imagine. Indeed, the memory of that gesture has helped me through many other discouraging times throughout my life. So, who knows what impact an encouraging word might have on those heartbroken or distraught in these difficult times? It may mean more than any other act of kindness we could do. As the ancient Proverb reminds us, “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:5 

It was one of the most iconic photographs of the twentieth century, and we have all seen it. Captured on camera by Alfred Eisenstaedt the photo portrays a U.S Navy sailor embracing and kissing a young woman. The place was a crowded Times Square in New York, and the date was August 14, 1945, “V-J Day”, the official end of World War II. Published the following week in Life Magazine (the equivalent of going “viral” in today’s world), that snapshot remains one of the iconic symbols of the victorious conclusion of one of history’s most devastating wars.

It would be presumptuous, at this point at least, to equate the current Coronavirus pandemic to World War II, and we certainly pray it is contained swiftly so as not to be as prolonged and tragic as the War turned out to be. But there are some similarities, most notably that in addition to the great heroes on the front line – the healthcare workers, first-responders and many others who are in harms way, like the brave soldiers in war – every citizen in the entire world is a participant. We are all in danger, many have suffered loss with sadly more to come, and we are all engaged in the war against this pandemic in one way are another, particularly in the call to sacrifice, just as all citizens were called to do during World War II.

Considering these similarities, a look-back at that 1945 photo may reveal a deeper message than merely the war’s end, a message we are all badly in need of. For, what it really symbolizes is hope, which may be why it became iconic as it has, symbolizing new beginnings, people living again and moving on with their lives, growing and prospering, raising families and enjoying the fruits of their labors.

We should be reminded that even when forests burn down they are able to grow again, that broken bones heal, and even grief is not a permanent condition, that tears can be seeds that will grow into a harvest of joy because God is able to bring good out of tragedy. We must remember that as we trudge through this mighty battle, that one day, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” In that lies our hope. May we pray continually for that day to arrive soon when we too are free to celebrate – maybe even kiss a stranger in the middle of a crowded Times Square.

“. . . seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 

One of the great challenges we faced working on a bond trading desk in the Wall Street world, as I did for thirty years, is the urgency of everything. Phones ring non-stop during trading hours and every one of those calls is something urgent. While in one sense the high level of activity is energizing and exciting (one never lacks for something to do). On the other hand – and this is the challenging part – it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy – the urgency – and lose sight of the greater purpose and the mission and goals of the business.

Among his countless nuggets of wisdom the late management guru of the twentieth century, the great Peter Drucker, emphasized the importance of making the “important” rather than the “urgent” our priority in life. But like most of us he struggled with it too. “If I look back,” he once lamented, “my greatest frustrations are probably, in retrospect, this is hindsight, that I have, far too often, made the urgent rather than the important my priority and that as a result, some of the books I should have written I haven’t written. And I have written books that were urgent, or I have taught the things that they needed at the moment rather than the things that were needed five years since. I have been willing to run shorter rather than long-term.”

It’s a tough call because urgent matters do matter, but they should never be allowed to cause us to lose sight of the greater purpose and the longer-term mission. That is why clear concise mission and vision statements are so critical for organizations and that that mission and vision be instilled in the organization’s culture. Thus, the most successful organizations over the long haul are those who do.

Jesus himself reminded us that we should first seek God’s kingdom – the “important” – then deal with the other matters of life – the “urgent”. By doing so we guard ourselves from being caught up in the frenzy of the urgent; or as Drucker put it, we must make the “important” rather than the “urgent” our priority in life. But sometimes life demands our attention to the urgent in order to achieve the important. Such was life on a bond trading desk, and such is the battle we are currently engaged to defeat the Coronavirus.