Sometimes I\u2019m not certain how much we get it. When a child is born, for example, as future parents, we spend so much time dreaming and scheming and planning and shaping all that we will teach them. And indeed, what a sweet opportunity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I wonder then if we\u2019ve missed what\u2019s wisest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the eve of the birth of my third son, as we anxiously but humbly attempted to sturdy our hearts, reorienting them to the divine plans for our life that we never expected, wanted, nor intended, a wise friend left a letter on my doorstep. \u201cI look forward <\/em>not<\/em><\/strong> to what<\/em> I <\/em><\/strong>will teach Joshua. But to what <\/em>he <\/em><\/strong>will teach<\/em> me.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It shouldn\u2019t take a disability to see what\u2019s wisest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then again, God uses all things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we ponder what\u2019s happening in current culture, in the world around us, in the struggles we face both big and small, I wonder if one of the reasons the struggle is great and solution seems insurmountable \u2014 if not oft even preposterous \u2014 is because we\u2019ve missed a foundational tenet in our approach to solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s ponder for a moment\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What if, for instance\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would it do to our political polarization\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would it do to our social media conversation\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would it do to our individual interaction\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would it do if we actually realized the humbling truth that we have more to learn than to teach?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let us say that slightly differently, but dare I say, profoundly\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would it change in the perceived insurmountableness of solution if we recognized that the astuteness of our answers mattered less than the quality of our questions?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n My sense is we\u2019d have less bias in our news\u2026 fewer politicians convinced their political standing makes them brighter or better\u2026 and no more \u201cI-just-have-to-say\u201d tweets, rants, and off-putting expletives on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe solution is less dependent on having all the answers\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And more dependent on being a humble people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Humble people ask questions. Humble people never belittle others. Humble people are not jealous nor care who gets the credit. Humble people don\u2019t feel sorry for themselves nor spend so much time focusing on the wrongs of others. Humble people spend more time putting themselves in someone else\u2019s shoes than on complaining about the shoes they\u2019re actually wearing. Humble people are thankful; they\u2019re known for their generous expressions of gratitude. Humble people forgo judgment and embrace respect. Humble people never think they\u2019ve got it all figured out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Precisely because humble people know they\u2019ve never got it all figured out, they see other people \u2014 no matter age, stage or circumstance \u2014 no matter income, education or ethnicity \u2014 no matter any identifiable demographic \u2014 they see others as persons from whom they can learn.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n What a sweet thing it would be \u2014 and what more solutions we could find to life\u2019s struggles both big and small \u2014 if we began by being a humble people in how we viewed one another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectfully\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes I\u2019m not certain how much we get it. When a child is born, for example, as future parents, we spend so much time dreaming and scheming and planning and shaping all that we will teach them. And indeed, what a sweet opportunity. But I wonder then if we\u2019ve missed what\u2019s wisest. On the eve … <\/p>\n