I looked last night and realized that I hadn't actually completed and posted a blog in over a month. I had to ask myself if I had been lazy, busy, or some combination of both. Truth is, it's both. I had started several drafts that haven't been completed. I've spoke a couple times which requires a different focus and preparation, for me anyways. And while work has now gotten back to a more typical volume that PPP has run its course, we're still very busy. But, I told myself earlier this year that I would write and share more regularly and I try to live by a "no excuses" mentality. So hopefully a weekly article that touches on subjects without the sometimes too deep dive I try to take will be easier for me to handle and for others to follow.
No Guts, No Glory
We've all heard this saying - but what if our guts cause us to miss the glory? If you know the story of Jesus in the garden before he was apprehended to be crucified, you've heard of a guy named Peter. When trained Roman soldiers came to take Jesus, Peter did what all us "real men" would do - he man'd up for his boy! Peter sliced off one of the soldier's ears and prepared to take on the battle against impossible odds. But Jesus stopped him saying, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup my father has given me?"
Jesus had repeatedly told Peter and the other disciples what would happen to him - that he would be crucified but would return. But like many of us, they chose to hear what they wanted to hear and believe what they wanted to believe. Peter showed the guts, but nearly missed the glory. This same man who was once willing to fight a trained & equipped army and would likely face certain death, was later unwilling to admit his association with Jesus to a crowd of onlookers.
Stuart Briscoe writes, "Like many a man, Peter's courage was spotty. He would take a swing at anyone, but taking a stand was more problematic. Sometimes the challenge for the Christian is more in demonstrating more and spiritual courage than in bracing and fighting a physical confrontation."
George Floyd
I have been far too quiet in the discussion of racism for far too long for one simple reason - because I was scared. I was scared that something I said would be taken the wrong way, or that I may not be able to accurately express my thoughts and feelings in words. This is very sensitive subject yet also way too important to not try to make a change. If something I say offends you, please talk to me about it. Help me understand or to better express what I was going for.
It is grossly unfair that another man with many similar attributes as me (age, intelligence, stature, etc.) would have overcome greater obstacles merely because of his skin tone. It's not fair that my lighter skin tone allows me to receive the benefit of doubt that others with a darker complexion don't get. This should not be happening in the United States in 2020. It never should have but we cannot change history. Our role is to change the future.
One of the first steps to solving a problem is admitting that it exists. Racism is real and I fear that is far more prevalent than many whites realize or care to admit. How can I change it? By living out an example that does not discriminate based on skin color. By not making or listening to racially charged jokes. By not accepting racist comments or actions as 'okay' because that's someone's opinion.
You want a simple actionable step to start shifting your mindset and get motivated to make a difference - go listen to Mandisa's "Bleed the Same" every single morning (link below hopefully). She says so many positive things so beautifully. This needs to be an anthem for America right now and should be on every radio station and news feed to begin uniting us.
https://youtu.be/HVKuA1s5I3o
If I can help somehow, let's talk. If I can get you on a platform to share, or we can write an article together, or speak to a group, let's do it. We all see things from our vantage point. But in coming together, we can get a complete picture and present it to others. I'm sorry for being silent for too long. Let's begin to work together to create change in our community and in our world.
Fact Check
Fake news, questionable statistics, and inaccurate information have been a problem for a long time - thousands of years in fact. Before we didn't really know how deadly COVID was going to be, before DHEC began multiple reporting of the same patient (which skews numbers), before we were watching CNN or Fox News and not realizing that they were talking about the same story because of their various views of it, ole Peter again didn't believe the news he had received.
After Jesus' death, on the third day, the women went to the tomb. However, when they got there, Jesus' body was gone. They rushed back to tell the disciples who questioned the women's account. But not Peter. Nope. Peter ran to the tomb to see for himself. He didn't disrespect them and call them liars. He merely wanted to find the truth on his own (Luke 24:12).
An excerpt from a devotion of mine this week: "There is great danger is dismissing as nonsense what we do not understand. And there is great arrogance in dismissing as irrelevant the sincere testimony of a brother or a sister whose experience differs from our own. It is too easy to dismiss what we will not take the trouble to discover. Peter, however, quietly slipped out of them room and ran to the tomb to see for himself....As Peter discovered, it makes no sense to dismiss as nonsense what doesn't at first make sense. Instead, it makes sense to listen to what others say and see how it would make sense. That's common sense!"
Closing Thought
If you want to see change - be it in yourself, your business, your community, or wherever - it starts with you. Work on changing yourself from the inside out and be the change you want to see.
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