Today’s Musing was inspired by a sermon the ever-gifted Ryan Leak delivered recently at River Pointe Church. In the early part of his sermon, he asked the following two questions, each challenging on its own:
If your best friend became a best-selling author, what would they say about you?
What one story would you want them not to write?
Now, don’t make my initial mistake. My inclination was to laugh off the questions, but they lingered, continuing to haunt me. What would those stories be?
Then, he upped the ante asking:
If your spouse became a best-selling author, what would they say about you?
What one story would you want them not to write?
I was on board with the concept by then and that pair brought a whole new dimension to reflecting on how I am living/have lived my life.
But, Ryan wasn’t through with us yet. Here came the knock-out punch:
What story do you want your kids to tell about you?
I remember my then 28 year-old son asking to speak at the memorial service for my father about two years ago. It was fascinating to hear what resonated with him about my dad, and what did not.
When the day comes when your kids rise to speak about you, and it will come, what will be in the forefront as they prepare those remarks? What stories are they telling about you now – and do not be deceived – they are telling stories about you now. And it doesn’t matter what age they are, I assure you they are telling stories about you at least occasionally.
This is a tougher exercise for me than the standard, “What do you want people to say about you in your obituary?” This exercise teases out who you are projecting yourself to be in the here and now.
I do not pose this challenge in order to have you identify your flaws, quite the opposite. The purpose is to call your attention to the wisdom, charity and love you radiate. What are the aspects of your life that encourage others and bring out their best? When you allow those to come into focus, you can begin to accentuate those features.
Which brings me to today’s scriptures and one of my very favorite Bible personalities, Barnabas. In the first passage, we find Barnabas advocating for Paul when Paul first sought to be accepted by those he had been persecuting. What stories do you think Barnabas was telling?
Then we come to Barnabas advocating for John Mark when Paul was determined to leave John Mark behind. I seriously doubt he was reminding Paul how John Mark flaked out on them in the course of their last journey. I rather think he was talking about John Mark’s love for Jesus and how eager John Mark was to make amends. How differently the story would have continued from there had Barnabas spotlighted John Mark’s failures and shortcomings.
I leave you with a quote that came much later in the sermon. “I am a product of a bunch of people who didn’t give up on me.” Amen, Ryan. Amen!
On a journey that leads into his presence,
Robert
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