It's like measuring the speed of syrup on an icy cold morning!

It's Wednesday already, March 3, 2010, and this week which began on Sunday is flying by in a blur of activities of places to be and people to see. I can remember a time when I used to enjoy doing maybe 50 different things at the same time. I even would tell people how much I enjoyed having so much on my plate. Hello? In many ways, more numerous than I could explain, I am so happy that I am not what I used to be. I say that realizing that first and foremost I have not arrived yet, but thank God for the progress He has provided. On the other hand, it is very clear that my appetite for multi-tasking is no longer what it once was. I'm not ashamed of that. I fell asleep at my son's house for a reason. That 'reason' at one time in my life would not have been on my radar screen. The busyness in my life does take a toll. That doesn't mean I want to or I will slow down because I greatly enjoy all that I am involved in, however, it does mean that I need to understand these forces that are at work at this time in this phase of my life. I was thinking about our dear friend Ruth who lived a very active life with little to no health challenges during her 91 years. I can hardly conceive of myself doing another 25 plus years but we all know that these outcomes are in God's hands.

I used to tell the guys who reported to me at the big company that I didn't care anything about burn out because I wanted to burn up in my commitment and effort put forth to see us achieve excellence. Now I know where all those ruts on my face came from. I didn't watch all of the program about the boss who disguised himself and became a entry level employee but I saw enough of the clips to know it was an eye opening experience for him. Having worked my way up through every area and nearly every job within a huge department within a huge company, I can identify with how it pays to know where folks are coming from. This executive learned first hand what doing a day's grunt work was all about within the company he ran. One of the things I believe he learned was respect for those down in the trenches. I like to think that was one of the major themes for my time in the management world was the respect I showed to the work force I was privileged to lead. Every person doing their particular work to the best of their ability deserves respect, but often do not receive it. The executive on the TV program ran into some remarkable people who would come to work everyday and tackle huge amounts of gut wrenching labor but with a happy spirit and excited attitude. He didn't know about these folks before but he learned that it's those kind of people that made their company successful. Now that, my friend, deserves humble recognition and the highest respect.

I remember a story told by the wonderful Pastor John Bisango who God used to grow one of the largest Church families in America. He said he and his wife were having lunch at a restaurant and everything about the meal was wrong. The service was poor. The orders were incomplete. The lady waiting their table seemed distressed and out of it to a certain extent. When it came time for them to pay, Bro. John left a huge tip. His wife was livid. She began to question whether he had lost his mind or not. She could not believe that he would reward such bad service. He quietly told her that they had no idea what was going on in the background, what challenges that young lady was facing on that particular day, and how much of it was really her fault. He chose to show respect and favor even as God looks at us, all messed up, totally discombobulated, and without any reason for Him to love us, but He chooses to do it anyway. I am not telling you to drop a $20 bill every time your food is cold and you are unhappy about the service BUT having respect for all people at all times is not a bad way to travel through this life. Food for thought, (pun intended), on this middle of the week Wednesday. May God bless. Amen. ......More later.