Response

Early on in my life I was told that management was an art.  I had no idea what the words meant.  Candidly, the statement did not make sense.  Granted there was always the uncontrollable, not quite definable element of the individual, yet there was much that could and should be measured.  Science was the answer to business!  Formulas, metrics, processes were the tools of the trade.  If one could master these, know and understand them from the inside out, one would be successful.  I was so na?ve.
In my blissful arrogance, I set out to make my mark.  Analytics were the key!  Facts, brutal or otherwise, relevant or less so, appropriate or not, were the fuel to keep things going.  Feelings were nuances that could be ignored.  Sentiment was for yesterday.  Everything could be challenged.  Life was for living, creating, and building new.
I look back, amazed at the patience and understanding given to me by my managers.  They were incredible individuals in their own right, if only for being able to nurture, control, and provide guidance when I did not think I needed anything.  I see now how freedom plays an incredible role in our lives.  Nobody can control the freedom we always have in making a decision.  We cannot shape, dictate, or otherwise control the decisions that rest with others.  No matter what is at stake, we control our destinies.
With the wisdom of time and experience, I see God’s hand in a new light.  God is committed to working within our freedom.  As such, certain parts of history are being written as we live.  When I hear God’s voice talking of the past and present; “This exile is just like the days of Noah for me: I promised then that the waters of Noah would never again flood the earth.  I'm promising now no more anger, no more dressing you down.”  (Isaiah 54.9)  I find a God engaged, growing, and becoming increasingly creative. 
Today is a time for learning and growing as we experience the freedom within and without. We control our response.