Let me start with an apology of sorts, maybe an excuse or an explanation… I have been neglectful in meeting my own self imposed standards of posting to this page. And, while I am at, don’t expect it to get much better in the coming weeks. We have been way too busy. I am not going to bore you with the details because I expect you are as busy as the trophy wife and I, and nobody likes a whiner. I am not whining- really. It is all Good stuff and we are honored to have the privilege to be involved in so much, but it has been busy. I actually wrote the post below a few days ago, but we have had internet issues along with me over scheduling.
Way back when I was an assistant football coach I worked for a guy who had a great influence on the young men he coached and on me – a young coach. DeWayne Sexton was a good man and a great leader. I learned more about leadership from DeWayne Sexton than from any book or lecture I attended on this journey of more than 30 years. DeWayne was a man who knew his limitations and was confident enough to ask for help. One of the best lessons he taught our young men, and I, was that nothing was quite as good as it seemed at the time and absolutely nothing was as bad as it seemed.
High school football is huge in Texas and folk’s attitudes and general feeling about the school and the community are often set and reset based on the performance of a bunch of 17-year-old young men. The place where we were coaching was no different, except they had not been successful in football in a long time. We handily beat a nearby school one Friday and the kids, parents, and well everybody was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning – they could not wait to get home and brag about the game. Well, as is normally the case, the excitement was short lived and the next week we got beat by a good team. A team we should have beat, but a good team none the less. The excitement from the week before was long gone when Coach Sexton stood in front of the team after the game and said almost the same words as the last week, “…nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it seems.”
I spend a lot of time with men wounded in military service these days. Most of the time they teach me more than I can provide anything for them. We had 4 weeks of elk hunts this year with guys who had a wide variety of injuries. Some appeared to be unwounded and there were some who were wheelchair bound for the rest of their life. Amazing as it sounds, some of the most wounded have the best attitude and are truly making the most of their life. I am amazed at the guy who is in a wheel chair and we must load him on a trailer in his track chair to get him back in the woods where he will have a chance to even see an elk. Then we watch him headed down a two-track dirt road into the woods riding on that trailer doing the parade wave as if he is in a parade. Just amazing. I am in awe of the guy, who has both legs but one doesn’t work and he sleeps only every other day or so due to the memories, when he tells me his injury has made him more appreciative. He says things like, I would never have been here if I was not wounded. And, I am also amazed at the guy who seems to have everything going his way – not one of these guys wounded in military service – and all he does is complain. Yet, the vast majority of these guys who have sacrificed so much would do it again in a second – even knowing they would get injured again.
Let me challenge you and challenge me to enjoy the good times and not put too much emphasis on the bad times. I can’t speak for you, but I tend toward the highs and the lows and don’t always have the faith that the Good Lord is still in charge and He has a purpose in allowing everything that happens. I don’t always take the long view and look past the momentary good or bad circumstances. So, please take the long view and look past this momentary time of prosperity or challenge. Trust me, I have read ahead to the end, and even though I forget most of the time, the good guy wins.
Be Purposeful,
mike
Leadership on Purpose
A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. -Proverbs 17:27, NLT
The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. –Psalm 103:13, NLT
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love. –1 Cor 16:13-14, NLT
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.-Proverbs 3:5, NLT
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.–Proverbs 3:6, NLT
Cowboy Logic: Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain
