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“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth . . .” – Genesis 1:26 

Once upon a time when I was a younger man I would have lunch with my business buddies and the conversation was inevitably about how to make more money.  Nowadays when I have lunch with my pals we seldom talk about how to make more money, instead our conversations center around how to make a difference.

What a change in priorities, at least it has been for me; for once I had been convinced that it was by making money that one became empowered, until I realized that as a human being created by God that I had already been empowered, indeed it is my birthright, to have dominion over all the earth.  How powerful is that?  But there’s catch, I must choose how to use the power bestowed on me.  With it I can do good or evil, love or hate, be self-giving or self-absorbed, make the world a better place or leave it worse off.  It’s up to me.

Perhaps more than anything what has transformed the lunch conversations my friends and I have is the realization that we only get one shot and it is up to us to decide what outcome we want with that one shot, to make the world better or leave it worse off.  How will we use the power we’ve been given?

In his own day Joshua challenged the people of Israel he had been leading to “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . .  But as for me and my household,” he declared, “we will serve the Lord.”  A time comes for all of us when we must choose and declare how and for whom we will use our God-given power.  What outcome do we most desire?  Will we use it for good or evil, love or hate, to be self-giving or self-absorbed?  Will we make the world a better place or leave it worse off?  Each of us as a child of God created in His own image has been empowered to rule over all the earth.  How will we use that power?

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in . . .”  – Matthew 25:35 

Author Anne Lamott once told a story about asking a friend if she thought the dress she was wearing made her look fat, to which her friend gave the most astonishing response.  “Annie,” her friend scolded, “you don’t have that kind of time!”  It stopped Anne dead her tracks.  “It was like I was in a cartoon,” Anne explained, “and somebody conked me over the head.  I got it.”

What she got is that life is too short for us to be concerned about what others think of us, to spend our time fussing around about appearances.  When we do we are squandering precious opportunities to help others, brighten another person’s day, teach a child, call a friend, visit someone who is infirmed, to simply love someone.  Anne’s friend understood that we live most abundantly when we are giving.  When we focus on such things as whether our clothes make us look fat we rob ourselves of what really makes us feel most alive.  We simply “don’t have that kind of time.”

It’s not easy, though, is it?  We live in a world that’s telling us to grab onto as much as we can, then try to get more and more, and that will make us happy.  But do you really believe that?  The problem is, of course, accumulating stuff is a trap, for no matter how much we accumulate it is never enough.  Self-serving can never self-satisfy.

What Anne Lamott learned from her friend is that “you don’t have that kind of time” to be worrying about your stuff or your appearance.  Life is a gift.  YOUR life is a gift – a gift to your family, your friends, co-workers, classmates, those around you.  When you focus on yourself, your stuff, your appearances, you are reducing the amount of time you have to share that gift.  What we accumulate will neither last nor satisfy.  What WILL last and satisfy occurs through giving.  It is the secret of abundant living.  “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in . . .”

“The wise in heart are called discerning . . .”  – Proverbs 16:21 

Recently I had the opportunity at the invitation of two friends and professional colleagues to participate in a coaching exercise that involved horses.  Now I like horses a lot, but I don’t have a great deal of experience with them which probably made me a good candidate to experiment with in this exercise.  The idea was for me to simply spend time interacting with a horse seeing if he felt comfortable in my presence and trusted me, and if so whether he would eventually respond to my instructions.

Prior to beginning the exercise my two colleague friends took me aside and put me through a series of mental exercises the purpose of which was to transfer my thought process from the brain to the heart – to move from thinking to feeling; for as they taught me horses are sensors (or feelers) more than thinkers.  Incredibly, and to prove the point, when I began working with my horse he responded positively when I remained in sensing mode, but if I slipped back into thinking – that is from my heart back to my brain, which I did from time to time – he would back away.  He knew; he could sense it.

In my wife’s hometown of Albany, Texas there once lived a man by the name of Robert Nail (1908-1968), a remarkable gentleman who left a unique and lasting legacy of spirit and purpose in that community like few other towns have ever received.  I have heard many stories about Mr. Nail through the years, but while visiting there this past weekend I heard one remark that may have captured the essence of his impactful leadership more than anything I’ve ever heard.  “Bobby Nail didn’t just know people,” one lady explained, “he knew their hearts”.

“The wise in heart are called discerning,” the Proverb says.  Robert Nail of Albany, Texas was wise in heart, therefore keenly discerning about others.  People followed his leadership so profoundly that today his vision lives on.  Now I understand how that happened, thanks to a lesson I learned from a horse – along with a little coaching and encouragement from my two friends.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.”  – John 15:9 

For the chorus to his song “A Father’s Love” country singer George Strait wrote these words:

“Let me tell you a secret, about a father’s love

A secret that my daddy said was just between us

He said, daddies don’t just love their children every now and then

It’s a love without end, Amen!”

Of all the responsibilities I have undertaken in my lifetime none has been greater, more important, more intense, demanding, challenging, complex and dynamic, and at times more frightening and frustrating than being a daddy, yet nothing has been more fulfilling and rewarding.  And in the end it may be the only job I’ll ever have that really matters.

It matters for two reasons.  One is that as a daddy I became responsible for the wellbeing and development of my children, to love, teach, nurture, protect and provide for them.  How seriously I accepted that responsibility has been up to me.  The other reason, though, is the wisdom I have gained by being a daddy; what I have learned about life and love and relationships, and especially the insight it has provided in understanding God’s love for us.  In experiencing the unconditional love I have for my children – in knowing that nothing they have done or can do will change or diminish my love for them – gives me a glimpse into how much God loves each of us.  It may be the closest we can ever come to walking in God’s shoes.

It matters that I understand God’s love so that my children experience it and understand it too.  Ultimately it will be my legacy, as it will be theirs.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.”  It’s a love without end, Amen!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11 

While walking through our neighborhood recently we encountered a man leaning against a shovel in his front yard.  He appeared exhausted.  As we passed by he stopped us to solicit our advice.  Seems he was planting rose bushes in a large flower bed, several of them perfectly spaced out – until while digging a hole he encountered a huge immovable rock.  That’s why he stopped us to see if we had any ideas about what to do with this rock that was getting in the way of his perfectly laid out plan.

How many times has that happened to you, you come up with what you think is a perfect plan only to unexpectedly encounter a big immovable rock?  That’s when you begin to understand the punch line of the old joke, if you want to make God laugh make plans.

Does that mean we should not make plans?  Absolutely not!  The great general and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “Plans are nothing; planning is everything.”  In other words, plans hardly ever work out exactly according to plan.  There’s always some unexpected immovable rock we will encounter.  But planning is critical so that we know where we are headed and what we are trying to accomplish.

Every recent college graduate, indeed anyone seeking or starting a new career should read Daniel Pink’s little book, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko; for according to the subtitle it is, The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need.  Cleverly presented in comic-book style this little story teaches six essential principles necessary for anyone seeking fulfillment in life and work, number one being “there is no plan”, at least not as we try to lay out plans.  But Johnny Bunko learns from the other five principles that we are each given strengths we should focus on rather than weaknesses; life is not about us but what we do for others; persistence trumps talent; make excellent mistakes; and leave an imprint.  And actually that is the plan, to live by these principles we will find fulfillment in our life and work.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord.  That’s His plan too. . . . And by the way, our neighbor’s roses are starting to bloom.