Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Lately I’ve been meditating on Psalm 1 and found myself caught-up by the imagery of the “righteous”.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Then I came across this Bonhoeffer quote – one of my heroes of the faith.
This weekend we put our two, young adult children on a plane so they could spend the next 10 weeks together in another city before they head-out on what is next for them. It has been a really special time for us as a family since last March when the kids came home for Spring Break but did not return to their respective college campuses for their final quarter. Instead they have remained with us. What a wonderful surprise to have them at home as one graduated and the other has been preparing for graduation this year. I am sure you can relate to this on some level.
I certainly am not an expert on parenting. But I know we need to make the most of every opportunity to love, listen and laugh!
When I overlay the two together – the image of the righteous and the opportunity to influence the next generation – I realize that coaches who are developing emerging leaders have an intense responsibility. We do this well, imagine the fruit. We fumble the “passing of the baton” – everyone loses!
Here are 5 questions to help you reflect on how you can steward your calling to “live for the next generation”:
- How would you describe your vision for the next generation?
- What is getting in the way of you being fully present when you are coaching?
- How can you maximize every opportunity you have to prepare the next generation?
- What are some ways you are willing to experiment to engage more and more with younger leaders?
- How do next generation leaders you coach demonstrate that they are living a life characterized by righteousness?
