…will save it.

“Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus lays down the conditions of discipleship.”

Whoa. 

That was a gut punch. 

Again, far be it from me to preach to any or all of you. I am in the process of working my way back through the mess I made of things.  But this stands out in numerous ways, all amenable to a Linkedin life.  But I digress…

Essentially, deny yourself. Make it about those all around you.  From the bottom to the top.  They are to be your priority going forward, at all times and all the time.

A  tough row to hoe if you are on social media.  Caught up in the rigamarole of office politics.  Seniority.  Parking spots. And the like. 

Essentially, plain and simple, set yourself aside.  Make it about the other.  Not you.   Make it about the other. 

Then, go one or many more steps forward and “lose your life” for those all around you.   Make it totally about them.  What they need.  Focus on their growth.  What they can achieve.  How they can be promoted.  Ultimately, their success.  

Cause when this happens, you have built a team that will carry on what you have taught, embraced and loved as only you could. 

Speaking as a coach, I am not on the field.  They are.  So they need to be placed in a position where they can  make every moment count.  

For them.  

Not me. 

It will take some discernment, acceptance and faith, but trust that what becomes of denying yourself will make you what and who you were meant to be.  

A disciple so to speak. 

One who puts themselves there for the other.  Because ultimately, it will come to round you out and bring you where you have always wanted to be. 

There for them.  

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.”

Who I am.

“What we have to be is what we are.”

― Thomas Merton

I do my best to read the daily gospel reflections from Bishop Barron.  As I continue my work to regain the conviction to return I am finding each day’s offering extends far beyond the scope of its intentions.  At least that is how I read and feel them.  

Parallels abound, things click in all manners and his words convey images, ideas and interests faar beyond the message of the moment.  Thank you for shaking things up and making me think, Bishop.  

So today, He says “who do you say that I am?”. A point blank address to those around Him to confess the known but unsaid truth.  To put what was known into words.  So that all were not just aligned, but all understood and all confirmed the veracity of what things were.  Sorry, kind of selling that historic moment short.  

Now in no way am I contending that I deserve that level of consideration from anyone let alone twelve.  But when I read this, I actually wondered what those that “know” me say that I am.  For it is certain that I struggle saying who I am.  And I am confident that those around me see something that is for lack of a better term, exists in total obscurity to me.  

Now He asked because he knew, and wanted them to come to see and share in that knowledge.  I ask because I am not so keen on what it is that I am, and seek to understand what is obvious to those but me.  

While He was made to be Him, I was made to be me.  You were made to be you. It can be challenging when there is alot of gray and we just are not certain who we say we are as was He. Perhaps there is something else to be gained from today’s gospel.  

Relinquish the resistance towards something bigger than yourself.  Like trust in how you were made.  What you are intended to do. 

So that you can be what you are.  

Who He says I am.

Undefeated.

To be “undefeated” means that despite your faults, your weaknesses and your circumstances, you will not allow yourself to become defeated. 

Remaining “undefeated” is a mindset, an attitude you can choose to live by. It stands to reason, then, that becoming defeated is solely your choice. Allowing your perceived  faults, a collection of bad decisions and the times you allowed yourself to falter when you should have been at your best to govern your life is essentially deciding to let all those moments define you. 

Labeling yourself in this manner will only lead your thoughts, words and actions to mirror those self-defeating expectations and behaviors.  And once so defined in this manner, you will find it increasingly more difficult to become what you were meant to be.  Sort of like being lost, you will find yourself far from the person that was intended to remain ‘undefeated”. 

So stop tearing yourself down and apart. Do not put yourself onto that path of self-destruction.. Affirm your true  value, advocate for yourself  through your performance and learn to see your abundant potential. Know that you are a powerful and positive force not just for you, but also in the lives of others. In time, with an open mind and heart, you will begin to see your faults and failures in a different light. 

You can learn to choose to define yourself in the way that you respond to each “loss” – in thought, word or deed. You can develop a mindset that holds to the fact that despite my faults and weaknesses, “I can still be the captain of my destiny.” 

I will not be defeated.

Whatever their source, accept defeats for what they are; opportunity. 
Abundant chances to choose to respond in a fashion that can forever define you as “undefeated”

Stony.

Before I share, I  feel I need to set a table so to speak. 

My aim in these posts is not to tell anyone what to do, how to think, what to believe or how to live.  Rather, I simply hope to share the thoughts, words and moments that were intended to impact, direct and change me and my life for the past 60 some years.  Those things just don’t happen.  And as Mr. Einstein once posed; “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.” 

Rarely did I hear and follow.  Sometimes I may have listened and then chose to ignore.  Oftentimes,  I just blocked things out because it was gonna be too hard, they meant I was wrong and my ego was contused.  Ultimately, I thought I could just handle it all later.  

Funny how fast later can creep up on you. 

I just was not ready for surrender.  Stubbornly, still not. Daily skirmishes and battles continue to this hour. But this too needs to change.  Will change.  Surrender is beckoning. 

I just want to write. Offer ideas. Different perspectives. Share others’ words. And perhaps become a friend.  

Maybe even the one next to you – or me – in that foxhole.  

There.  

That being said, here is today’s QOTD: 

Be crumbled.

So wild flowers will come up where you are.
You have been stony for too many years.
Try something different.
Surrender.

Rumi

Too stony. 

Too stony indeed.  

Visionary.

When vision is bold, there is bound to be discomfort. 

Leadership that chooses to work towards a desired reality far beyond the confines of the known takes a great deal of courage. And to press beyond existing limits is always a difficult task. Not for the faint of heart. 

It is a choice that involves and produces risk. There will be fits, starts and periods of inertia. But without commitment, action with full intention and the fortitude to leave safe harbor, there are no avenues for growth. 

When venturing out into the great unknown is too daunting, there is scant opportunity for improvement. Without embracing risk, average will have to be the accepted standard of achievement. And only wishful thinking can produce any notion of excellence. 

True, leaving the comfort of the known creates discomfort. 

It does command committed effort. Demands personal accountability. Beckons courage and character. Assignments coveted by those that choose to be bold. 

Embraced only by leadership truly visionary.