Presenting ...
... a weekly letter of encouragement.
Singapore
March 13, 1996
Good Morning!
ON FIRING GREATNESS IN OTHERS:
All of us have known or observed those rare individuals who seem
to be able to take what is average and forge it into greatness:
- A dis-interested student
- A failing company
- A discouraged athlete
Look into the eyes of the person on the street and more often
than not you will see disappointment. Unfulfilled aspirations.
People who have settled into second best. In all probability
whatever dreams they once had have failed to translate into reality.
Oh, there are the exceptions to be sure.
But what you don't often see in people's eyes is
that spark...that sense of anticipation...HOPE.
I have a question for we who have tasted of the richness of
Christ and have come to understand the greatest challenge
ever meted out to mankind - that of going and making disciples
of every nation:
"Must we too be consigned to that same category of dashed
dreams, disappointment, and run of the mill subsistence?"
I would like to believe the answer is a resounding "No!"
Listen to Robert K. Greenleaf: "Servant leaders are
healers in the sense of making whole by helping others to a
larger and nobler vision and purpose than they would be likely
to attain for themselves."
The prophet Isaiah gave us the secret to fulfilled dreams and
hope in writing, "...If you give yourself
to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, THEN
SHALL YOUR LIGHT RISE IN DARKNESS, AND YOUR GLOOM
WILL BECOME LIKE MIDDAY AND THE LORD WILL CONTINUALLY GUIDE
YOU, AND SATISFY YOUR DESIRES...AND YOU SHALL
BE LIKE A WATERED GARDEN..." (ISAIAH 58:10, 11)
Back to Mr. Greenleaf: Those servant leaders who are great
for God understand what it means to take that "average"
person and serve him in Jesus' name. They know what it
means to bring healing to him by helping him "to
a larger and nobler vision and purpose than [he] would be likely
to attain for [himself]."
That is, the servant leader knows the importance of believing
in him, investing his life in him, and pouring
out his soul for him. He understands what it means to take
him to the top of the mountain and help him gain a
vision of what he can become for God...To fire in his soul
a passion for greatness that is characterized by a life of sacrificial
service to others.
And in so doing, the servant leader himself will also be lifted
out of the quagmire of self-absorption and despair to become a
watered garden from which others may freely drink.
I trust you are having a great week!
Dwight Hill
© Copyright 1996 Dwight Hill. Unlimited permission to copy or use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.
| Back to Antioch's Well |  |
Back to Antioch's Home Page |
