“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature.”
The one we refer to as our “little guy” is now fourteen years old, 6 feet tall, and over 200 pounds. He is incredibly strong and very quick for his size. He is also the happiest person I know. He peppers his stories with bursts of laughter and smiles like the rest of us use punctuation. I promise you, if I stare at him for more than a few seconds, he first smiles and then laughs.
One of the reasons we moved his education back into our home was because we started to feel like that joy was fading. The challenges of a dyslexic in the classroom were robbing him of his joy. We noticed that we were well into June before we saw that lightness in him return after a tough year in school. Fighting for joy in my life has been such a battle, so I fiercely fight for it in our family.
My fourteenth year was very different. It was punctuated with anger, delinquency, and illegal substances. It is almost unfathomable to me that the next generation of my family could be so dramatically different. There is such an overwhelming “proof of concept” in that restoration that it fuels my conviction in every conversation and client engagement.
I know things are hard.
I know it can change.
Let’s get it done.
I am 34 years into my faith journey. The only “proof of concept” I could muster in the first half of that season was a bunch of truth, knowledge, tips and techniques. Without experiencing much of the restoration that it offered, I simply bludgeoned others with the unrealized “truth” of it conceptually.
The second half of that 34 years has been a completely different adventure. Finding restoration, healing, and the literal manifestation of all that truth has not only changed my life, but is marking the generations of my family as well. It spills over into every conversation, into my business, and affects every person I lead.
It might have something to do with the reason my boy can’t stop smiling.
Consider
- Is the primary evidence of your beliefs what you are saying or how you are living?
- Is the reality of the gospel in your life affecting those you love and lead?
- Is the next generation of your family or the next tier of leadership in your company bearing witness?