“God's love is boundless. We can discover ever new signs that show His attention towards us and, above all, His wish to reach us and to await us.”
Pope Francis
The only thing that 9-year old Katie Cellucci wanted from Santa this year was a "real pet." Her goldfish apparently wasn’t cutting it. In her letter to Santa and to everyone who asked, "a real pet," was all she yearned for this Christmas. Santa, being allergic to the idea of all animals, charged me with procuring this gift. Having grown up with turtles, that was my first choice. I called around to every pet shop in town. The only turtles that were available were ones that required extravagant tanks and water filtration systems that neither a 9-year old, nor her father could sustain. My eyes were suddenly drawn to an "all-in-one starter reptile kit" that was well within the budget and advertised as "perfect for a lizard." I immediately grabbed the closest Petco employee and asked for the cheapest, friendliest, easiest lizard. As the associate upsold me on mealworms and heat rocks and all sorts of ridiculous accoutrements, she looked at my "starter kit" and said, "Oh, you may want to get a bigger tank." She told me that my bearded dragon could live as long as 10 years and grow to be over 2 feet long (tail included). "You can actually walk them with a leash," she said, not realizing that would be something I would never do. "I think I’m good with the starter tank. Don’t want to get too ahead of myself. I’m not sure we need to worry about 10 years from now." With a look of judgment, my Petco associate said, "Well unless you provide a space for growth, how can the possibility ever become a reality?" Perplexed at 8:49pm on Christmas Eve Eve, I replied, "We are still talking about a lizard on leash right?"
As Socrates, my 19-year Petco employee, checked me and "Lizzo" out, I thought about her oddly applied yet insightful comment. How often in my role as a leader do I begin something without a deep belief in the potential outcome? Do I unintentionally curb possibilities by confining the space for things to grow? In my faith, I know God’s love is limitless, but how limiting do I make my heart? How can I start this New Year off by believing in God’s promise and making as much space as possible for Him to grow in me? Lizzo and I pray you have a blessed 2020.
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