“. . . unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  – Matthew 18:3 

It has been well said that if the young could be old for just a day, they would neither fear so much growing old, nor foolishly squander the days of their youth.  As one with a lot of years under my belt, I get this.  If only I had heeded such wise counsel in my younger days.  And, oh, how I long to pass it along to my five beautiful young granddaughters.  If only they would listen.  But then, who among us ever has?

Thankfully, my grandchildren are being raised in good homes by loving parents devoted to their nurturance, encouragement, growth, development, and general well-being.  As a result, they are happy children surrounded by family – both immediate and extended – living in nice neighborhoods, attending quality schools where they have a multitude of friends.  And on the occasion when they do skin a knee or get their feelings hurt, mom and dad are there to comfort and console.

As their grandfather, how I wish they could remain in that protective cocoon, and if I had the power I would see to it they live that way forever.  But as we all know, sooner or later life will smack them in the face, at least at some level.  Either it will catch them by surprise, or they will bring it on themselves.  Most likely, a little of both.  Eventually, they must discover that mom’s and dad’s pockets are not ATM machines, that not all people are nice, that life sometimes serves up aches and pains, broken hearts and broken bones, disappointments and hurt feelings, and mom and dad are not always there to comfort and console.  I pray often that it may never happen with my precious little girls, but inevitably it will, as it has with all of us.

If only they could be old for just one day, how much better prepared they would be when the day comes that life smacks them in the face.  On the other hand, maybe that’s all backwards.  Perhaps it might be better said that if the old – like me – could be young again for just one day, to experience their innocence, we might not be so inclined to squander our time worrying about the future – theirs and ours.  For, “. . . unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  If that is true, then it is the young and innocent who have had it right all along.

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life for many years and bring you prosperity.” – Proverbs 3:1-2 

“A father, being on the point of death, wished to be sure that his sons would give the same attention to his farm as he himself had given it.  He called them to his bedside and said, ‘My sons, there is a great treasure hid in one of my vineyards.’  The sons, after his death, took their spades and mattocks and carefully dug over every portion of their land.  They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labor by an extraordinary and superabundant crop.”  – from Aesop’s fables 

There is a vast difference between “knowledge” (having the facts) and “wisdom” (applying those facts to life).  While we may amass knowledge, without wisdom it is useless.  Rather, we must learn to “live out” what we know.  The father understood the facts of farming, in particular that vigorous tilling of the soil would produce an abundant harvest, but it was only through his wisdom that he was able to convey this knowledge to his sons in such a way that they in turn would “live it out” and perpetuate his legacy.

“Wise refers to skill in living,” explains Eugene Peterson in his book Earth and Altar.  “It does not mean, primarily, the person who knows the right answers to things but one who has developed the right responses (relationships) to persons, to God.  The wise understand how the world works; know about patience and love, listening and grace, adoration and beauty; know that other people are awesome creatures to be respected and befriended . . . know that God is an ever present center, a never-diminishing reality, an all-encompassing love . . .”

We are often encouraged to be life-long learners, and rightly so.  But more importantly we should strive to become life-long seekers of wisdom – in how to “live out” the knowledge we attain with greater understanding and deeper meaning.

“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life for many years and bring you prosperity.”  And therein lay the great treasure the father had bequeathed his sons, more valuable than anything they could ever have imagined.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  – Galatians 6:9 

It all started when Lanell Armstrong and a friend started showing up at an elementary school playground on Saturday mornings offering Kool-Aid and store-bought cookies to a bunch of fourth and fifth grade boys who regularly gathered there to play pick-up basketball.  The school was in a bad neighborhood plagued with drugs, violence, and gang activities.  As Lanell was well aware, fifth grade boys are the exact age group gang leaders target to lure them into the gang life, so she thought that by offering them free Kool-Aid and cheap cookies she might be able to engage them enough to point their lives in a different direction.  Thus was the beginning of Crossfire Ministries from which, over the years, countless lives have been transformed, many saved before they succumbed to gang life, others rescued from it years later, some from jail or prison, for Lanell never gives up on anyone – ever.  Today she’s like a go-to mom – more of a Mother Teresa, actually – who is always there for the kids in that neighborhood.

People like Lanell, extraordinary as her good works may be, tend to fly beneath the radar.  (I know her only because a mutual friend introduced us several years ago.)  But it is because she and thousands of others like her who are impacting the world in amazing ways are invisible to most of us, we tend to place our lot on the high profile – the rich and powerful political class – to set our broken world aright.

This should come as no great surprise, for such has been the case throughout history.  Two thousand years ago people had anticipated a Messiah who would come charging in on a white horse and overthrow the corrupt powers-that-be.  Instead, we got a boots-on-the-ground guy named Jesus from the obscure village of Nazareth who traveled about the countryside and villages – mostly under the radar – feeding, healing, and teaching.  Yet, who has ever done more to set this broken world aright than He?

As we are in the midst of a highly charged political season, I for one plan to do my part to stay engaged.  But when it comes to setting the world aright, I place my lot on Jesus of Nazareth, through the example of people like Lanell.  So, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 

“Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.”  – Romans 12:17 

If you have spent enough time in the corporate world as I have, it is highly likely you have observed that people tend to fall into one of four categories:  (1) those with low competence and low character, (2) those with low competence but high character, (3) those with high competence and high character, or (4) those with high competence but low character.

Those in the first category, you would probably agree, are people we simply do not want to have around, and they are usually not for very long.  The second category are those we would love to keep around if only we can help them improve their skills.  The third category, of course, is the cream-of-the-crop group, people who we can count on to do a great job, be fair and honest, and keep their word.  Then there is that fourth category, the one that presents the greatest challenge.  These are the people who are competent – sometimes extraordinarily so – but of questionable ethical or moral character.  It is my experience that this category is the one that most often gets corporate America in trouble by overlooking their poor character in favor of their performance or expertise.

My corporate experience was no different.  Once I hired a salesperson to work alongside our bond trading operation.  He was a man with a strong reputation in both competence and character.  But after he was on board, we discovered some of his top accounts were already assigned to another salesperson in another office.  That salesperson, too, was a high performer, but had always been of dubious character, a category four.  The bigger problem was that he had strong “connections” in the executive suite of our firm making the matter a political issue in which I was caught in the middle.  If I fought too hard for the man I had hired, thus against the other guy, I could lose my job, which I could not afford to do.  On the other hand, yielding to the political power would be a violation of my principles, thus compromising my character, which I refused to do.

It took many sleepless nights before I was able to negotiate my way through that predicament, which I was eventually able to do to the satisfaction of both parties – and the powers-that-be.  The solution all along, it seems, rested in the wisdom of the Apostle Paul who said: “Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.”

“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again.”                 Psalm 71:20 

The young man sat across from me, his face buried in his hands sobbing.  I had just fired him, on the grounds of poor performance, and he was understandably devastated, explaining between sobs how he had never before failed at anything in his life.  Sometime later I approached the young man with an idea, an offer to keep him on but in a lesser position at a much reduced salary.  He jumped at that second chance.  Before long he became a rising star, and eventually a successful professional.  Some years later another young man applied for a position I had available, but the interview did not go well.  Realizing he had blown the interview, the next day he called begging for a second chance.  That second interview landed him the job, and he too eventually grew to become a successful professional.

Lest my arm break from patting myself on the back for my gracious deeds, let me hasten to admit that whatever benevolence I may have offered those two young men is minuscule compared to the number of second chances I have received in my own life, few of which were the least bit deserved.  But by the grace of God and the help of many fine people I’ve been blessed with countless second chances.

In Luke chapter 15 Jesus tells a wonderful parable about a young man who after asking for and receiving his inheritance from his father ran away and squandered it all on wild living.  Finally, broke and desperate he decided to return home in the hope that his father might at the very least employ him as a lowly servant.  Instead his father ran out and threw his arms around his son welcoming him home, then had a grand party to celebrate his return – the gracious gift of a second chance.

I’m still convinced to this day that those two guys who crossed my path all those years ago deserved a second chance, as evidenced by the way their success.  (I’m less sure I’ve been equally as deserving.)  I’m also convinced that God is a God of second chances, whether we deserve it or not; for as the Psalmist says, “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again” – to be given a second chance.