Singapore’s dawn is still an hour away. As I sit enjoying my coffee and waiting for some stone ground oats to finish cooking, I find myself reflecting on the day to come.
My third meeting is different. I will meet with an external team about the job I am involved in. This meeting marks the beginning of their assessment and evaluation. It is unusual in that I have never been in the place before. I know more about the reality of the job than they do. I believe I understand what is needed for success. I am living with the obstacles. What will be the foundation for their remarks? Do they really matter in the greater scheme of life?
Let me answer the latter first. In your life and mine, what others think may be helpful but it is never the answer. We are individually responsible for our lives, full stop. We own our relationship with Divinity and with those around us. We hold the freedom to choose within us.
The foundation for their review will be twofold. First, it will be based on what they know. Second, they will use what I tell them to augment and complete their understanding.
Assuming I believe facts are allies, my role is to be as succinct, accurate, and complete as possible. Even as I wonder about where to start, I find myself looking at Paul’s words as a model. As he “surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: ‘Friends, I’ve lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment.’” (Acts 23.1)
My analysis includes the following. He did not say he was perfect, just that the issues that might be in his conscience were clear. His words tell me that he had made mistakes and learned. His perspective speaks of a person of wisdom that knows his limitations. His courage was born from dealing with the junk in his life and, with God’s help, putting it into perspective.
I can use this model.
