I have travelled for business as long as I can easily remember. As I chatted with a young hotel manager, she quizzed me about my experiences in hotels around the world. What did I like? What were some of the great moments? What were the ones I remembered vividly (diplomatically asking for the less positive ones)?
I remembered faces, great plans, and awesome outcomes. I let the scenes gently replay in my mind, meditatively thinking through the nuances that often rushed by when I was in the middle of them, I found myself thinking of mandate I had given others as well as ones I laid on the key characters. Several stand out. Most vividly I remember the accolades we received as a team. It was almost as if we were the subject of an old Psalm; “A long time ago you spoke in a vision, you spoke to your faithful beloved: ‘I’ve crowned a hero, I chose the best I could find.’” (Psalm 89.19)
I also recall our mistakes, many of them originating with me. As the stories replayed, I found myself overwhelmed with the following reminders.
Every moment and season has a unique rhythm. With each, you and I have an opportunity to contribute, play a part, and make a difference. Our primarily role is to discover where we fit and then to engage in living our part fully and completely. We are called and appointed to our place.
It is never about “I”. It was and is always about we. Even in the moments where I was alone, there was a context of family, friends, and community. Life is linked and bound by the relationships we have in it.
The moment we are in can make a difference to the future. As great or bad, beautiful or painful as any moment is, it comes with two core elements. First, an opportunity to make the world better. Second, the opportunity to learn so that the potential in the present is even better.
You are appointed to be and live in this moment! Carpe diem.
