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“Come, meet me face to face.”  – 2 Kings 14:8 

In sporting events tie-breakers are accomplished through playoffs, overtime, extra innings, sudden death, or photo-finishes.  In almost every other circumstance of life, though, when all else is equal, relationships are the ultimate tie-breakers.

During my many years working in the highly competitive investment banking industry I found this to be especially true.  When investment banking services are needed it is common practice to invite selected firms to submit written proposals for their solutions.  Once reviewed they are then invited to appear in person for oral presentations.  Given that most investment banking firms submitting proposals are fairly competent in terms of expertise, and all else being fairly equal such as price for services, structure, procedures, and marketing capabilities, it all comes down to that personal eyeball-to-eyeball encounter.  It is only when humans communicate verbally face to face, looking one another in the eye, being close enough to shake hands, watching as well as listening to ideas and responding to questions do relationships emerge and trust develop.  Who, after all, has ever been hired for a job based strictly on a résumé without a personal interview?

Humans are relational beings.  And in deference to the proliferation of written communication in this electronic age, Facebook, Twitter, texting, and email will never fully replace the need for personal contact.  Recorded music will never be as exhilarating as live performances.  Talking on the phone with a friend while sipping coffee will never replace meeting that friend at Starbucks.  Food will never be as satisfying as when shared with someone else.  And perfection will never replace the trust that emerges from relationships.

Beyond the basics of food and shelter every other human need is social, satisfied only through relationships with others, and the more genuine those relationships the deeper the trust and satisfaction.  That is why families are created, friendships are made, and communities are formed.  And that is also why in almost every circumstance of life, when all else is equal, relationships are the ultimate tie-breakers.

“The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.”

• Psalm 37:30 

In the twelfth chapter of Romans the Apostle Paul wrote what might be considered his treatise on how to conduct our lives.  Here are a few nuggets from his epistle:  “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought . . . Hate what is evil; cling to what is good . . . Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves . . . Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you . . . Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position . . . Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody . . . live at peace with everyone . . . Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” 

No one lived more consistent with Paul’s instruction than my beloved friend and longtime office partner, Jim Webb, who lost his brief but valiant battle recently with a very aggressive cancer.  I say he lost his battle because it took his life, but it did not define his life – a full and purposeful one in every way.  He was a man on a mission, as his family described, to bring God’s Kingdom on earth.  His was a life filled with compassion for others, integrity, generosity, and goodness, full of joy and hope, faithful in prayer.  Jim was a man of action who dreamed big dreams and made them happen, but always dreams about helping others and for the good of the others, never himself.

In every sense Jim was a righteous man, full of great wisdom who could utter it in a matter of a few words.  But mostly his wisdom was just part of his being in the way he lived.  “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news,” the Apostle Paul quotes in Romans 10:15.  So it was that Jim Webb brought goodness to every person he touched, as far as his generous and compassionate arms were able to reach, and all who knew him will miss him terribly – God knows I will.  But Jim is one of those rare people who left behind an incredible legacy that will not only continue to impact our lives, but will influence generations to come.  How beautiful were his feet – his wisdom, his life!

“. . . whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”

 – Mark 10:43 

Several years ago during my corporate life our company changed one of its internal policies.  Being opposed to the change I was furious, convinced that this newly dictated procedure would severely inhibit my business unit’s ability to transact business.  So upset was I that I became obsessed with proving that I was right and “they” were wrong, rather than focusing on ways to operate within the new guidelines.  Soon my anger and obsession began to cause me to lose sight of my real purpose, that of serving the customers and employees who I was charged to serve.  Only when I realized that my bitterness was robbing me of my true purpose did things begin to improve.  And of course the new policy, once I learned to abide by it, proved not to be nearly as devastating as I had predicted, the work environment became much more pleasant thanks to my changed attitude, and business got back on track and began to grow.

There’s an old, rather comical description of heaven and hell which you’ve probably heard.  It begins with a scene from hell where its residents are gathered around a banquet table set with an abundant and scrumptious feast, not exactly what one would expect in hell, until a closer look reveals an atmosphere of bitter agony due to the fact that their arms could not bend so they could feed themselves.  Surprisingly, the scene from heaven was identical including the unbending arms.  The difference was that there was an atmosphere of great joy as the inhabitants used their stiffened arms to feed one another.

Although this fable may have been intended to create an image of the hereafter, it may actually be even more descriptive of the here-and-now.  How often do we become obsessed with surviving or thriving – or proving we are right like I did – when our real purpose should be to serve?  Surviving, thriving, and proving ourselves right is all about us, and focusing on “us” will ultimately lead to misery as demonstrated by the stiff-armed inhabitants of hell.  Serving, however, is about others, and serving others is what leads to joy like the inhabitants of heaven experienced.  Or as Dr. Albert Schweitzer once claimed “the only really happy people are those who have learned how to serve”.

“And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years.  Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’”  – Luke 12:19 

There’s a riddle I ran across the other day that goes like this.  “Question:  What do retirement funds, college degrees and nuclear submarines have in common?  Answer:  They are all designed to give us a sense of security – security for our future, security in our vocation, and security for our protection.”  So it got me thinking, do they really?  Yet security in this increasingly insecure world seems to be one of today’s most sought after – and elusive – commodities.

Some time ago I experienced a sudden unexpected medical event that nearly took my life, should have actually except for the action of my quick-responder wife and the grace of God.  It happened in spite of my best efforts to do all the right things – exercise, regular checkups, good diet, hard work, retirement savings, a college education and so on – which according to conventional media hype should have made my life secure.  Or did it?

In the parable Jesus tells of a rich man whose land produced such a good crop he decided he should build bigger barns to store it in, for by doing so he could just kick back and live the good life.  In other words he had enough to be secure the rest of his life.  Except . . . “But God said to him, ‘You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.’”  

For years I had mistakenly believed, like the rich man, that true accomplishment could be measured by how much we had stacked in the barn.  But if my little health incident taught me anything it was to beware of such thinking; that in fact there is but one measure of true accomplishment in this life and that is to fulfill the purpose for which God uniquely created each of us.

If you’re thinking like I did that when you have enough stacked in the barn you can just take life easy, eat, drink and be merry; beware, for this very night your life may be demanded of you.  So rather than pursuing some elusive security, let us instead be about the business of fulfilling the purpose for which we were created.

“. . . you entrusted me with five talents.  See, I have gained five more.” . . . “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  – Matthew 25:20,21 

Until I read Julia Cameron’s classic book, The Artist’s Way:  A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, my long-held belief had been that creativity was limited to those we often think of as “real artists” – painters, sculptors, writers, musicians and the like.  It never occurred to me that we are all creative.  But as Julia Cameron explains, if we are in fact created in the image of the Creator then it stands to reason that we too are creators.  In other words we are all endowed with the gift of creativity in some form.

In the “Parable of the Talents” Jesus tells of a wealthy man who went away on a journey.  In his absence he entrusted his financial assets (talents) with three managers.  To one he entrusted five “talents”, to another two, and to the third one.  After his return he called upon his managers for an accounting.  The manager who had been entrusted with five talents as well as the manager with two had each doubled his money during his absence for which the wealthy master was extremely pleased.  But the third man had not bothered to invest the money at all with which he’d been entrusted, but instead had hidden it away.  For that the master was not only disappointed but furious.

I’ve often wondered why the master was so angry; after all he got his money back which seems better than losing it, right?  Maybe that was a little disappointing, but to be furious?  Then several years ago I began to study Julia Cameron’s works and that’s when the parable started to make sense to me; that is, we too have been entrusted with certain gifts, talents or resources with which we can either choose to invest in the good work of God’s Kingdom or do nothing, the equivalent of squandering.

Sometimes we define creativity too narrowly, confining it to only that small chosen group of “real artists.”  But in reality, everything we do requires creative choices.  God has given each of us some special unique creative ability and entrusted us to invest it wisely.  Or as Julia Cameron says, “The Great Creator has gifted us with creativity.  Our gift back is our use of it.”  So, how are you investing what’s been entrusted to you?