Monday; August 23

During the latter part of the 20th Century, school-aged children were familiar with masks – but, it wasn’t the kind that they wear in school today. During those days, there was a “masked man” who wore a cover over his face to obscure his identity. The man, John Reid (better known as the Lone Ranger), rode the trails of Texas doing good, but striving for anonymity during his actions. While many people benefited from his kindness, few knew his identity.

I don’t know that the tales of the Lone Ranger would meet the modern scrutiny of heroism (or even social correctness), but as I thought about him recently, something stood out. Here was a man out there doing good – not for the notoriety, but just because it was the right thing to do. In fact, he went out of his way to avoid being known despite the good he did. Now, let’s shift to the 21st Century. Why do we do good? Is it merely to do good or do we have an ulterior motive in mind? Do we do good to leave a legacy, to make a name for our family, to receive a tax deduction or so the community will respect us? I am not saying that we should stop doing good to avoid these byproducts of our kindness, rather let’s make it a point that our primary rationale for doing good is because it is the right thing to do.
When Jesus warned His early disciples about the dangers of doing acts of righteousness to be noticed by others, He challenged them, “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:3-4). It is great to give – especially when we do right with the proper attitude.

Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more