It\u2019s been a tough week, personally and professionally. It doesn\u2019t matter how much I have \u201cseen\u201d or \u201cexperienced\u201d it\u2019s often easy for me to forget that I cannot live beyond the present moment. Yes, we can dream of the future, relive the past but life is lived in the present. In that glorious inhale and exhale you and I just experienced. Earlier this week, in our staff devotions, we took time to hear from each other what our favorite verses were. When my time came to share, Mathew 6:33-34 came to memory (and especially verse 34):<\/p>\n
33\u00a0<\/strong>But seek first his kingdom\u00a0and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.\u00a034\u00a0<\/strong>Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own<\/u>.\u201d<\/p>\n In the past, I was drawn to the verse 33 and I viewed it as \u201cif I do this (seek first) then all things that I want\/need will be taken care off\u201d. I had missed the point because there\u2019s a hidden meaning in this scripture and it\u2019s captured in verse 34. The whole idea of the race (of life) that we are on is to point us back to Christ rather than anything\/anyone that would take His place. That refocus, in and of itself, is everything we need \u2013 and may not know we need it until we experience it.<\/p>\n The reading this week, The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell reminded me of powerful lessons in African folktales that were often shared with us, orally, by the older folk. Beyond them being nice stories, they had hidden meaning (just like the parables Jesus gave his disciples). One that comes to mind that has a parallel (I think) with the holy scriptures is the short story of the Tortoise and the Hare<\/a>. In summary, the speedy and boastful Hare puts up a challenge for the animals in the jungle. The Hare gets an unusual competitor, the slow but sure Tortoise! I mean isn\u2019t that like me challenging Usain Bolt to a 100m sprint? Anyway, the jungle shuts down on the day of the race; herbivores and carnivores, aligned in watchful gaze to see how this race would turn out. The loudest trumpet in the area, was the \u201cgun\u201d that began the race. The elephant blew its trunk and off the Hare went with the tortoise prodding far behind. At some point, the Hare looked back and the tortoise was nowhere in sight and so he figured he would rest up and take a nap or nibble on a carrot! As he was resting, the tortoise closed ground and was making his way to the finish line! The Hare woke up, saw the Tortoise was close to the finish line and tried to make a dash to win the race, but it was too late. The Tortoise had crossed the finish line and won the race!<\/p>\n According to Campbell, we get see the Hero\u2019s journey unfold, the archetypes in the two competitors, a universal theme and arguably, a spiritual depth[1]<\/a> of which I draw a parallel from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and verse 11: \u201cAgain I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.\u201d<\/p>\n And so, a simple folktale reminded me to run my race, at my pace, appreciating the gift of \u201cthe now\u201d but more importantly, to keep my eye on the eternal prize by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Could this mindset allow us to navigate any leadership challenges and be cognizant of any opportunities that we might encounter as we run the race of life?<\/p>\n