“If our identity is in our work, rather than in Christ, success will go to our heads and failure will go to our hearts.” ~ Tim Keller
I struggle with placing too much of my identity in my work (I imagine that many readers might relate). At times, I feel so proud of what is happening at FRCS. I see faculty who know that “it is in giving that we receive” (Francis of Assisi). I see juniors and seniors who are starting to see the world as if it is genuinely theirs to impact. I see student leaders who understand that leadership is “always about helping” (Pellicer & Anderson), and I simply feel proud. I feel that my work has contributed to this, and I want to claim some success for it. At other times, though, I feel discouraged. I see relational problems which have gone unnoticed or unassisted, I see the far reaching impact of poor decisions, and — far too often — I see lingering grudges which have left scars on those who refuse to lay them down. At times, I feel that my work is meaningless, that I cannot move the mountain at which I am staring, and that I lack any real impact.
I am guilty of believing a lie — the lie that says more depends on me than it actually does. The truth is that I can make FRCS successful no more than the gardener can force the plum tree to blossom. It is my job to cultivate, to nourish, to protect, and to prune. But FRCS belongs to God — not to me. I am simply gardening: serving however I can and to the best of my abilities. I cannot even explain the mystery by which the blossom forms, much less force it to happen.
A long time ago, I shared this prayer from Francis of Assisi with the faculty. I pray it almost daily, and I know that other faculty and staff do as well. I find it appropriate to include here:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.”~ A Prayer of Peace by Francis of Assisi
May we know that the work belongs to the LORD.
May we trust his work within us.
May we be instruments of his peace.
May we garden well.
