“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  – Luke 12:25 

Imagine this, four friends are flying together in a small single-engine plane headed on a weekend fishing trip.  Suddenly, about half way to their destination the engine sputters and dies.  After several failed attempts to restart the engine the pilot reaches under his seat and retrieves the plane’s one-and-only parachute which he then straps on.  As he is pushing the door open to bail out he turns to his friends and announces, “You fellows stay here, I’m going to see if I can get some help.”

“I’ve had a lot of worries in my life,” Mark Twain once said, “most of which never happened.”  Or as someone once put it, “Don’t tell me worrying doesn’t work.  Everything I worry about never happens.”

My college years occurred during the very height of the Vietnam War, so except for college deferments which inevitably ended upon graduation young men my age faced a high probability of being drafted into the military — or such was the conventional fear.  For those of us who got caught up in such beliefs it felt as if death had a noose around our necks.  Worry!!  And all that worry ever did for me was to change me, for a time, from being an excellent student with high ambitions to a fatalistic mediocre one — but only for a time.  Eventually I did serve in the military, I’m proud to say, and lived to tell about it.  And eventually my ambitions returned, most of which have come to fruition plus some.  Most of the things I worried about never happened.  And the time I spent worrying, all that did was to set me back from pursuing my ambitions.

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”  What about those three fishing buddies abandoned by their pilot friend (friend?!!)?  What about me back in my college days?  And what about you?  How has worrying added to your life?  How has it added to the quality of your life?  How much of what you have worried about has ever even happened?  “Do not be afraid, little flock,” Jesus assures us, “for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”  What more can we ask for than that?  And with that as a promise, what are we so worried about?

“‘Everything is permissible’ — but not everything is beneficial.  ‘Everything is permissible’ — but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” – 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 

Did you ever step on the gas to get through an intersection just before the light turns red?  I have, more times than I can count.  There are typically two thoughts that occur in our minds when we do this that justify our actions: (a) my time is too valuable to sit through a red light, and (b) I didn’t really break the law.  We just seem to forget one thing, in our big rush, who including ourselves might we have placed in harm’s way?

During my days managing a bond trading unit for a large investment firm, my least favorite responsibility was having to be a policeman, ensuring that everyone complied with the laws and regulations pertaining to bond transactions.  Sounds simple enough, as most regulations are fairly straightforward; except, there’s this one certain rule in securities law known as “fair practice” that requires brokerage firms to go beyond simply what is legal, and further ensure doing what is right for the client.  As you can imagine, this rule creates some gray areas that become subjective and more difficult to enforce.

In defense of my former colleagues in that industry, the vast majority were good honest professionals who took seriously what was in the best interest of their clients.  But then there were those few who dared to push the envelope for the sake of their own commissions, and who, like speeding through an intersection before the light turns red, defended their actions by arguing that they “didn’t really break the law.”

In his famous Sermon on the Mount Jesus went to great lengths in explaining the deeper meaning of the Laws, that is the Ten Commandments.  “You have heard it said . . .,” he would begin about a particular law.  “Do not murder . . .,” for example.  “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment,” he would explain.  It’s more than just staying within the boundaries of the law, in other words, it’s the condition of your heart toward others that matters most.  For everything is permissible if it is lawful, but that doesn’t mean it is beneficial or constructive.  According to the Apostle Paul, “Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”  Should that not always be the litmus test in determining whether we’re doing the right thing?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him . . .”

• Romans 8:28 

It was sixteen years ago — September 11, 2001 — 9/11 as we refer to it.  Most of us, I imagine, who were beyond toddler age at the time remember vividly exactly where we were at the exact moment we became aware of the attack on the World Trade Center towers. Some have referred to that event as our generation’s Pearl Harbor, and have compared the firemen and other heroic first responders to those brave souls who sacrificed their lives on the beaches of Normandy on D-day.

I was managing a regional bond trading operation for a major Wall Street investment firm at the time, with our offices located on the forty-fourth floor of a downtown Dallas skyscraper.  In our large trading room was a television situated at one end as a financial news source, which we rarely watched.  But being closely linked with our New York headquarters, we were alerted right away about a plane crashing into one of the towers, which caused us all to migrate toward the TV.  Moments later we stared slack-jawed as we witnessed the second airliner slam head on into the other tower.

These were evil acts we had just witnessed, visited upon thousands of innocent victims, our fellow citizens, in our own country, on our own soil, specifically in New York and Washington, D.C. . . . Then, before we could even begin to process what we had seen, the most amazing thing began to occur, good overtaking evil.  In a flash it seemed, the courageous firemen and other emergency responders arrived — incredible heroes who literally saved thousands of lives at the risk, and losses of their own.  Then others came, and more began to pitch in from all over, however they could.  The goodness of people rose to the occasion.  Thousands of stories have emerged since then in testimony to this goodness.  We’ve all heard many of them, and will hear more for years to come.

It has always been my belief that in the long-run, goodness wins out over evil, that love wins out over hate.  We are God’s children after all, and because of that, He works in all things for our good.  This does not mean that all that happens is good, for evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to redeem every circumstance for our long-range good.  9/11 bore witness to that, the goodness of God and His people prevailing over evil.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God . . .”  – Ephesians 2:8 

“Why Me Lord?” a song you may recall written and recorded by country singer Kris Kristoferson was quite a hit several of years ago.  The lyrics start off like this: “Why me Lord? / What have I ever done / to deserve even one / of the pleasures I’ve known. / Tell me Lord / What did I ever do / that was worth lovin’ you / for the kindness you’ve shown.”  That thought has crossed my mind a lot this past week.

You see, we lived in Houston once upon a time.  It was thirty years ago and we were only there a couple of years.  But things could have turned out different, we could have stayed.  And what if we had?  Would we be displaced like thousands of others along the Texas coast, our home destroyed by the devastating flood waters, losing everything we owned?  Why was my family spared while thousands — millions probably — of our neighbors to the south are left to suffer?  Why me Lord?

“Your tests all look great,” the doctor informed me this past week.  “You’re in great shape,” she continued, “unlike all the other patients I’ve seen today.”  Being her last patient that day caused me to wonder how many others were ahead of me who were not so lucky?  Why am I blessed with good health, and they are not?  Why me Lord?

As we celebrate our wedding anniversary this weekend I’ve been taking stock of things, reflecting on my life.  September 4, 1971, forty-six years ago, I thought was the best day of my life — that is, until I began to realize that was just the beginning, that every day since has been even better.  I happen to be married to the most incredible woman, with whom together we raised two fine sons, who along with their amazing wives have gifted us with five beautiful granddaughters.  How is it I have been so blessed with such a wonderful family?  Why me Lord?

There’s just one answer, of course, and it is not my doing.  It can only be the gift of God’s amazing grace.  So, as Kristoferson’s song concludes, “Try me Lord / if you think there’s a way / I can try to repay / all I’ve taken from you. / Maybe Lord / I can show someone else / what I’ve been through myself / on my way back to you.”  Amen!

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”  – Philippians 2:3 

I find it puzzling that humility is such an overlooked quality when choosing people for leadership roles.  Perhaps it’s because humble people, who otherwise may be quite capable, are mistakenly perceived as lacking such characteristics as conviction, courage, and self-confidence — in other words thought of as weak.  Not necessarily so.

One of the most humble people I ever met was a guy named Arthur Hernandez.  We were from neighboring small West Texas towns, and never got to know each other all that well except for the rare occasions our respective church youth groups got together for some event.  Where I did get to know Arthur was competing in various sports in junior high school.  What a bruiser he was on the football field, knocking me on my fanny more times than I can count.  But that’s also where I experienced his humility; for no sooner would I hit the ground than I would see his hand extended to help me up, make sure I was okay, then slap me on the rear with a kind word of encouragement.  As captain of his team Arthur never hesitated to challenge a referee’s call if in question, but in the most polite manner you can imagine, using words like “sir”, “please”, and “thank you”.  And at the end of the game, win or lose, guess who was leading the charge to shake hands with the opposition?  Courageous, capable, self-confident, decisive, yet humble — what an outstanding leader he was!

In his book, Give and Take, Wharton Business School professor Adam Grant sets out to explore how a person’s intentions impact his or her long-term success.  Through his research he identifies three categories of people:  Givers, those who are genuinely generous in their behavior; Takers, those who tend to be in it for themselves; and Matchers, those who often behave like givers but with a quid pro quo expectation.  What he concludes is that while takers tend to jump ahead early on, and matchers know how to play the game, in the long run it is the givers who tend to rise to the top.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit,” says the Apostle Paul, “but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”  That’s what I’ll never forget about Arthur Hernandez from junior high school, who I have no doubt has risen to the top.