When I was developing content in my role as a High School Football and Character Coach, I sketched out a bunch of lessons around the “Be A …, Not A …” concept. I began sharing them in this blog in groups of 4-6 concepts per blog and this is my seventh edition. To see Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 click on the hyperlinks.
Be Speakers, Not Headphones.
I read that musicians do not use headphones in the studio because it limits their experience, their breadth of taking in all of what is happening around them. They feel audio speakers better represent the whole process, the complete sound, and what the audience is experiencing. Being like a set of headphones gives us a form of ‘tunnel vision’ where the focus is too tight. Experiencing life as an audio speaker provides a more open, communal, and less isolating way.
Too many of us take life in through headphones. We strip away the background and ambient experiences which add value. We fall into the trappings of our personal bubbles, lose context, and forgo the opportunity to expand our senses. People that behave like audio speakers value the shared, broader context over the individual, focused perspective. Being like an audio speaker allows us to view situations and experiences from various viewpoints and challenge our assumptions. It allows us to understand beyond your immediate surroundings. We get to hear the harmony.
In many parts of the Bible, there’s a strong emphasis on the importance of hearing and listening to God’s word. This concept is intertwined with the idea of communal listening to scripture. Listening to scripture together reminds us of our unity in Christ and fosters a sense of community and shared experience. Hearing scripture in communion allows for discussion and can act as a safeguard against misinterpretations or misapplications of scripture.
Be a Tigger, Not an Eeyore.
I must admit I am a Winnie the Pooh fan. I love how A. A. Milne balanced Tigger with all his energy, exuberance, and enthusiasm opposite Eeyore with his pessimism, gloom, and focus on the negative. I think it is easy to say which type of person we would want to be around. Give me optimism and positive energy all day, every day. Tiggers bounce back from setbacks with enthusiasm, their positive attitude is contagious, they have boundless energy to fuel their dreams and aspirations. Tiggers tend to embrace a “yes” mindset. One of the greatest examples of a Tigger for me is Randy Pausch, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2008 at the age of 47 and gave the upbeat and humorous “Last Lecture.”
In the Book of Numbers, we have a great example of Tiggers and Eeyores. After Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he sent 12 spies into the land of Canaan. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, were Tiggers. Not only did they come back saying the land flowed with milk and honey, but they said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” The other ten spies were Eeyores. They agreed that the land flowed with milk and honey, but they pessimistically warned that “the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.” Because of the Eeyores and their lack of faith, they held back God’s people from entering the Promised Land for another 39 years.
The Bible acknowledges the reality of suffering and struggle. It also points to the hope and joy found in God’s love. It’s not about denying difficulties but about facing them with faith and a positive perspective.
Be a Stacker, Not a Piler.
A stack implies an organized arrangement of items, typically placed one on top of the other. A pile is a more haphazard collection of items, often jumbled together without a specific order. At a quick glance it may all look the same, but it is not. A stacker knows what is in their stacks. There is a purpose behind the stacking. A piler just piles things up. For example, firewood need to be stacked and not piled. This promotes air flow and faster drying. It reduces issues like rot and pest infestations.
Stacking is more efficient and effective. It is more organized. Responsibilities, appointments, and commitments that are stacked get addressed in a particular order. If they are piled or simply amassed, they likely will never get addressed and possibly forgotten.
The concept of stacking objects can be found in various biblical narratives. My favorite example is Nehemiah organizing the people to stack stones for rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls. Jacob and Joshua are singled out for their stacking of stones. Jacob stacked the stones he had rested his head against and named the place Bethel, “house of God,” so that all who came that way would know of his meeting with God. Joshua also stacked stones as a memorial for the people of Israel when they crossed into the Promised Land. Joshua wanted to remind future generations of God’s act of drying up the Jordan River as well as the Red Sea, to remind them of His power and desire for worship.
Be a Doctor, Not a Pharmacist
My sales career has been built on diagnosing before prescribing or worse, just filling a prescription. Instead of selling what was being promoted or the most popular products, I needed to determine what is the solution or right thing to sell. This is sort of like seeing the pharmacist for a chronic cough. The popular brand of cough syrup will be an obvious choice, but without an exam by an actual doctor, we can’t know if a more serious illness is the culprit and needs an entirely different course of action.
Generally, pharmacists treat symptoms, while doctors treat patients. A doctor is concerned with the overall health of his patient while a pharmacist is addressing the specific matter at hand isolated from other inputs. We need to be looking at the issues and matters of our lives with a holistic and systemic approach, as opposed to what might be the medicine at this moment for this isolated incident. A focus on the overall effect – within our complete life and the communities we reside, local and global.
God’s role as a healer is in absolute harmony with His plan. He knows our complete picture – physical, emotional, and spiritual – and what is best. He is not just a remedy for what ails us at the moment. He restores us as individuals for eternal life.
Be Principle Based, Not Preference Based.
Principles are not meant to be easy. They are considered unchanging truths or universal laws. They provide guidance and structure for living a spiritual life. Examples include love, honesty, compassion, and gratitude. Preferences are subjective choices based on personal feelings, desires, or comfort. They are part of individual expression. Preferences are fickle and change in the wind. Principles do not.
I once sold ESD hand lotion into the electronic production domain. The principle behind the product was to dissipate static electricity which builds up on the hands of the production workers and potentially discharges, damaging the printed circuit board. The preferences for the product were the smell and feel of the lotion. We had an off-brand competitor that introduced a low cost product based on preferences as opposed to the principle. We lost business in the short run, but after several costly static discharges, we regained the customer’s business.
Daniel is an example of a young man who lived by principles. He would have preferred to eat and satisfy his hunger pains, but he realized there was a line he couldn’t cross without disobeying the Lord. He chose not to eat food that had been sacrificed to Babylonian idols, and trusted God.
When presenting these “Be A …, Not A …” lessons, I advise players that just like running and lifting, we can condition ourselves around mental, social, and spiritual development. The more we practice the better we become. Also if we practice less, we regress or become stunted. However, this development does not just happen in a gym or controlled environment. It occurs in real life, every day.
The world needs our gifts. The world needs us to be Tiggers and stackers; to value the shared, broader context over the individual, focused perspective. We need to be principle based and look with a holistic and systemic approach to move His kingdom forward.
