Pass It On

I have not been on a plane in more than 6 months. For someone who traveled so frequently that he often knew flight attendants on a first name basis, it’s quite a change. Certainly there have been some blessings like more time with the family, less time alone, and less racing around. There have also been some challenges like more time with the family, less time alone, and more staying still. One of the net results of this dramatic shift is a realization that despite being an wild extrovert, my travels provided me with a way to decompress, to get some distance, and to prepare to enter my time at home. Bluntly, the shorter commute has meant a shorter fuse and more frequent delivery of what my kids call "the Dad voice." It’s not a happy delivery. After one such recent delivery of the Dad voice, my oldest muttered to her sister, "Remind me to thank the participants of his last Zoom meeting for that gift."

Nothing burns more than the sting of a tweenager’s zinger you can’t refute. What I felt was so unjustly delivered to me in my last encounters of the work day, I turned around and inflicted on my children not more than 10 minutes later. As I delivered the apology tour to those in my house, I couldn’t help but wonder how often I act as an emotional courier, for better or worse. How often do I deliver the attitude of what I have received from others versus delivering what St. Paul encouraged us to this past Sunday – "the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus." (Phil 2:1-11) Like Christ, I must make the choice to "empty" myself, particularly when I am the recipient of others’ hardness or sin, before I pass it on. I may have a short commute, but I have a long way to go in filling myself sufficiently with what the Lord calls me to deliver – His presence. Prayers for what you are called to deliver this week!