The numbers on the page did not make any sense. I knew I was tired. However, even that knowledge did not help the numbers come together. Something had to be missing. One bucket did not add up given the other numbers. In another area, it seemed as if there was a double count. I was not the author. The only recourse was a conversation with the man who pulled it together.
As we talked about his work, the business, and the team, I could feel the sincerity in his heart. This man’s heart was filled with good intentions. His loyalty was beyond question. He had been as long as anyone. This was his professional life.
As we talked, I began to get glimpses into how things worked. The questions that unfolded in our conversations were natural extensions of what he was describing. He took certain questions away to seek the answers. Others he left untouched.
I retreated to review the matter with another colleague. I could see that temptation to assume and ignore the local team. Others had taken this course before me. The ideas that followed went from the practical to the absurd. Ideas are like that. As I listened I was reminded how crazy ideas sometimes become not so crazy.
When advice came to a wisdom father, I am confident he had to have a think. They said that this “is what we want you to do: There are four men from our company who have taken a vow involving ritual purification, but have no money to pay the expenses. Join these men in their vows and pay their expenses.” (Acts 21.22, 23) It may seem crazy. It could what we are looking for.
Dinner approached and I was still wondering about the afternoon’s ideas. Would they lead to any answers? Should I have demanded and been more direct?
My questions had no answers. I wanted to do something, anything. I also realized that my only choice was to wait and see.
My phone chirped. My new partner had stayed late. The answers flowed.
