Best Foot Forward?

Group: Kingdom Call

Written by William Nissen on Dec 19, 2008 11:38 pm

Read More: Mindset | Personal Development

As we look over people's blogs and connect with those around the country, it is hard to not be cynical. Everyone puts their "best foot forward" or perhaps I should say, "fake foot forward" in order to dazzle people or get attention in the sea of people waving their hands in the air around the country. In the marriage counseling I've done through the years, half the battle with couples is the fact that the person they married changes as soon as the ring was put on the finger. The guy who called me twice a day and sent flowers is now the guy who sits in front of the TV and snores.

The opposite reaction is not a good option. Others think you aren't being honest unless you are always miserable. I remember a time when I attended a group and they asked me how I was doing. I said, "pretty good", and they asked, "how are you REALLY doing?" I stared at them…pondered…and then said, "you know, to be honest, I think I'm…PRETTY GOOD!" We don't have to be a mess, and we don't have to have all the answers.

Don't get me wrong, I want to be respectable and don't hang my laundry out for all to see, but two extremes are not our two options. Another option is to be real.As for me, yes, I've been a pastor for 16 years and have learned quite a bit about leadership in that time, but I'm also inpatient, can be moody, and I can be a space cadet at times. I really am a hodgepodge and don't fit any mold. I'm creative having been an art director, sculptor, and cartoonist in the past, most of which is typical of an introspective inward person. Yet, I'm also passionate about community and relationships. I've been a counselor, pastor, life coach and speaker which normally doesn't fit with the creative types.

I also love history and I get in trouble with people because I ask the question "why" all the time. Why do we do things they way we do?...Why do we settle for this?... Why do you believe that? Many people don't like to be asked why because it reveals their motivations. I'm not trying to corner anyone, I honestly want to know why we do things the way we do.

Asking "why" has caused pain for me, but it has also helped me climb out of man made boxes to see things as possible that others would say is impossible. It's helped me find true friends instead of "yes men" caring for you because it is politically expedient. It has allowed me to be "available" when opportunity arises instead of buried in my obligations. Dear friends out there have helped me ask the question why, because they do the same thing. I can help people, because people have helped me.