“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good . . .” – Genesis 50:20 

In his recent bestselling book Grateful American, actor Gary Sinise tells the story about being seated on an airplane next to a man by the name of John Vigiano, who happened to be a retired firefighter with FDNY. Gary noticed John was wearing a button bearing a picture of his two sons, one a highly decorated New York City police officer, and the other, in the footsteps of his father, an FDNY firefighter. John wore the button in honor of his two sons who had sacrificed their lives in the Twin Towers’ collapse on 9/11, while valiantly and selflessly saving others. After sharing this story with Gary, John said something truly remarkable. “I believe more good came out of September 11 than evil,” this from a father who had tragically lost both his beloved sons.

Over lunch recently with one of my special friends, he began to share with me details about his childhood. Now, my friend happens to be a highly educated and successful businessman with a beautiful family who he adores. He is also one of those people whose broad smile and warm heart spreads joy everywhere he goes. Without knowing his background, one would never imagine the extreme cruelty, abuse and abandonment he suffered as a child. At the end of his story, though, as horrific as it was, he looked at me and shared something truly remarkable. “But the past is the past,” he concluded. “What matters is what we do with our lives going forward.”

Then there is Joseph, whose story is told in the book of Genesis, cruelly treated by his jealous brothers who sold him into Egyptian slavery, after which he was imprisoned on false charges, where he remained for years, separated from his beloved father Jacob who assumed him to be dead. Finally, after being called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dream he was promoted to Pharaoh’s right-hand administrator which enabled him to rescue his family from starvation during a severe seven-year famine.

Three people, three tragic stories. All could have — and had every right to – embrace bitterness. Instead, they chose otherwise, trusting God to overrule the evil acts they had suffered and to use them for good. Their responses were truly remarkable, which Joseph summed up this way. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 

Not being a fan of self-checkout in stores is just one more thing, I suppose, that puts me further and further behind on the technology curve. Part of my dislike stems from having always been a “late-adopter” of technology, thus being a bit slow and lazy about learning it. Except out of necessity, technology has never been one of my great interests. But there is another reason I resist self-checkout, and that is I happen to enjoy interactions with fellow human beings. So, it is not unusual to find me waiting in a long line to be checked out by a human, rather than using the more efficient self-service lanes.

In the late 1980’s when the technology revolution was rapidly gaining momentum, there was hardly an industry or profession whose workforce did not fear its potential impact. Plain and simple, the fear was that our livelihoods were in jeopardy of being replaced or reduced by technology. That was when the president of our company at the time, in an appeal to calm such fears, said something I’ve never forgotten. “There will never cease to be a need,” he said, “for the advice and counsel of a fellow human being.” Meaning, while the delivery methods for our services may change, the need for them never will.

Now admittedly, I personally am an extravert by its truest definition, that is one who is energized by being around people. But it doesn’t matter really whether we are extraverted on introverted, we are all designed for the purpose of companionship, not isolation, for intimacy, and not loneliness. Nor are we here on this earth to serve only ourselves, but to serve God and others. Simply put, people need people, always have and always will.

Does that mean self-service will disappear, and checkout clerks are going to make a comeback? I wouldn’t count on it; which means people like me are going to have to accept it and adapt to using it. But one thing will never change, and that is that “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.” That is the way we are created, and technology will never change that fact. For as my old boss once said, there will never cease to be a need for the advice and counsel – and companionship – of fellow human beings.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” John 15:16 

A man sat with a friend complaining bitterly about all the troubles in his life. After listening for a while his friend finally spoke up. “Look, Joe,” he said, “this is your life, and these are the conditions. Now, what’s the invitation?”

One of my favorite scenes from the movie “Forrest Gump” occurred when Lieutenant Dan climbed up the mast of Forrest’s shrimp boat. A storm arose, yet there he remained straddled to the mast throughout the night, all the while screaming at God about all the troubles in his life. It was there that Lieutenant Dan, who had lost both his legs in Vietnam, came to a moment of truth with God. Bitterly, he had kept asking the same questions over the years since his tragedy. Why did this happen to me? What am I good for now without my legs? Finally, atop the mast of a rickety old shrimp boat in the middle of a violent storm he laid it all on the line. Shaking his fist toward the sky he challenged God to either grant him some peace and show him a purpose, or let him die.

At long last the storm subsided, the seas calmed, and miraculously Lieutenant Dan survived. More importantly, he had faced the moment of truth about his life, an acceptance of the fact that this was his life, and these were the conditions. Now, “what’s the invitation?”

In the next scene we see Lieutenant Dan beneath the clear blue sky leaping off the shrimp boat into the calm waters like a kid in summer diving into a swimming pool, where he is playfully backstroking about, smiling at the sun, catching its glorious rays – free at last from his bitterness. And we hear Forrest Gump narrating in the background that Lieutenant Dan had made his peace with God. Invitation received, invitation accepted!

“You did not choose me,” Jesus said, “but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” God did not choose our condition; rather He invites us from whatever our condition – and appoints us!! – to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last . . . This is our life, yours and mind. Our respective conditions are what they are. Now, what is our invitation? How can we bear fruit with the conditions we’ve been handed?

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” – Luke 12:48 

A few years ago, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, two of the world’s wealthiest individuals, issued a challenge to their fellow multi-billionaires to give away a significant portion of their wealth, as they had committed to do. And while it would be presumptuous to assume they had been directly influenced by the above passage from the Gospel of Luke, it would also be presumptuous to assume they were not. The fact of the matter is I don’t know what if anything influenced their philanthropy except that they seem to understand that along with their extreme good fortune comes extreme responsibility. Other than that, I am hesitant to speculate much about the motives of these two gentlemen since I do not know either one personally, nor do I know much about their personal values or beliefs.

Regardless of their motives, though, it is encouraging what these men did by making a public statement about their wealth that ultimately says it is not theirs to keep but to give away – and to give away for the benefit of the greater good of mankind. At an even deeper level their message is all but an admission that their wealth had never been theirs to begin with, but a gift, their extreme philanthropy being a public recognition of that.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded . . .” is not a message intended exclusively for the mega-wealthy, though. It applies to all of us; for we have all been blessed in some way with more than enough. And just as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet seemed to have recognized, it is not for us to keep but to give away. Some have been blessed with financial wealth, some have physical strength and energy, some with special talents, others have wisdom, and most of us at the very least have the ability to offer a smile or an encouraging word. Whatever our gifts, talents, or resources might be, they have been entrusted to us not just for ourselves but for the greater good of humanity. What a privilege to be called to offer our God-given gifts for such a purpose!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged.” – Joshua 1:9 

A giant water tower once stood at the edge of the school yard in my hometown, arguably the tallest structure in town, which was an ever-present source of temptation for mischief with the local high school kids. In fact, more times than not the old water tower was covered with graffiti painted by those brave enough – or crazy enough – to shinny up one of its massive steel beam legs wagging a bucket of paint.

Legend has it that once upon a time one young hooligan who had ventured up the tower to test his artistic talents slipped and fell off, a mishap that should have been fatal, except this lucky lad happened to land in the middle of a large elm tree that had grown up next to the tower. Thus, so the story goes, he only suffered a few scrapes and bruises. Lots of people have climbed up that tower through the years, but of all the stories his is by far the most notorious. As for me, I never had the guts to try.

Ever wonder why it’s the risk-takers who get all the attention, even the crazy ones who take stupid risks like some of the hooligans I grew up around, instead of the play-it-safers? Could it be that we envy them, that we wish we could be more like them, be as fearless as they seem to be? It could be for good reason too; for it is the risk-takers – although not the foolish ones like I just described – who are the difference makers in the world. They are inventors, creators, adventurers, explorers, and entrepreneurs. And yes, they are fearless in that the possibility of failure never seems to frighten them away. By playing it too safe, on the other hand, we might just miss out on those opportunities to invent, create, explore or start something new.

I’ve never regretted not climbing that water tower, although I must admit I’ve always secretly admired the ones who did. But thank goodness I’ve not always been a play-it-safer either, for some of the best decisions I ever made in my life involved some risk taking – like getting married, having a family, becoming a bond trader, leaving that profession to go out on my own and become an executive coach. Yes, I survived a few close calls, but I can’t imagine what life would be like if I’d never taken a few risks. It’s just a fact of life, to live abundantly one must step out from time to time and take a few risks. As the Lord told Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified . . .”