My True Hero is Forrest Gump!
I find it intriguing that virtually every time the disciples got a little full of themselves Jesus put a child in front of them.
Through the visual aid of a child Jesus appears to be saying that the only people who can recognize and appreciate what he’s talking about are the ones who come to him with the mind, eyes and heart of a child.
Forrest Gump is my true hero, perhaps because he is a metaphor for the child’s mind Jesus speaks of.
Forrest can easily admit that he “doesn’t know” and so he enters every situation and relationship with an unvarnished honesty and humility.
And the responses and results are amazing!
The Arrogance of Knowing
I find the older I get and the more knowledge and experience I have to draw upon, the more susceptible I become to “the arrogance of knowing.”
I have the answer because I have been there, done that and have the tee shirt and I become indignant if someone challenges me.
Regretfully, I have left more than one meeting with the uneasy sense that I left this perception.
Yet, the only people who grow to the highest levels of spirituality and leadership are those who are humble and honest.
This is the maxim of Alcoholics Anonymous, a bedrock Christian doctrine and a truth supported by a growing body of evidence in secular writings on leadership.
Without those two qualities we simply don’t grow or lead well.
Application: Humility and Honesty are Two Sides of the Same Coin
A humble person is simply a person who is transparently honest about the truth.
I came into this world more than a few years ago and will be gone in a few years more. They will replace me at work when I am gone and not miss a beat and life will go on for my family and friends.
This reality reminds me that the only honest response to life and leadership is a humble one.
Forrest doesn’t mind saying “I don’t know.” We must never presume that we know or we will never truly see.
The moment we assume we know we block ourselves to potential truth, honesty and growth.
Action: Just once today try saying ‘I don’t know’ and notice the feelings of anxiety that well up in you. Then pray for the grace of a child’s mind and to say with the blind beggar, “I want to see.”
Posted on April 10, 2014
