The past week has been a thoughtful one for me. If you look at my calendar you’ll wonder how I could ever find the time for reflection! The combination of travel and hosting guests has been hectic. But I spent time with some fascinating people who inspired me, challenged me, and encouraged me.
Traveling through Belize with these guys made every conversation a fun one.
For instance, I met with a successful businessman in Belize City on Thursday morning. We were talking about ways to create job opportunities for at-risk youth, and in the midst of the conversation he said, “If we are all made in God’s image then we are all wired for greatness.” Seems so obvious, doesn’t it? Yet it struck me as a core truth when trying to create hope in the midst of despair.
Another conversation was with a former colleague who is now a university professor. “Hope,” he said, “is not a commodity to be traded. It has to be shared.” A good insight as we considered for profit solutions to vexing social challenges.
Perhaps the funniest comment, after I had shared what I would do if somebody gave me a billion dollars, came from a new friend who said, “That’s incredibly boring!” It made me laugh as I lashed back, “Well, at least it isn’t stupid like your ideas!” But it did make me think about the different approaches to treating wealth. Are we to be managers or ranchers? Risk takers or cautious stewards?
With Bishop Wright in the vineyard.
This weekend we had the honor of hosting Bishop Philip Wright of Belize in our home. D’Aun and I were impressed with his humble spirit and passion for change. It’s a unique and lovely combination.
Plus he had some great lines. One humorous one I wrote down was, “History is made in the barber shops.” He was referring to the salon he frequents where his stylist encouraged him to meet with a group of leading figures. The result has been history!
Or as we talked about how easy it is to feel hopeless in the midst of such massive needs, he said, “Even if you cannot see the bigger picture, you are part of the bigger picture.” How encouraging to think of it that way. Just do our part, and the big picture will take care of itself.
And it concluded with a quote that D’Aun heard the Bishop say when he was quoting the work of a famous photographer, “Lord, help me to celebrate what is right and give me the energy to fix what is wrong.” Oh how I wish we could all live our lives to that idea!