Dionna Sanchez
One thing I love about kids is that they constantly keep you humble. Just when you start to think you’re cool, with-it, and have a good thing going – they are great at reminding you that they don’t quite agree. And let’s face it, we need that sometimes.
I had one of those days. I made a Vine video that I thought was cute. My kids laughed at it and played a loop of it nonstop over a cranked up stereo sound system.
I got a blouse to try on and then review on my blog. It wasn’t as cute as I thought it would be, but still I thought the blouse wasn’t too bad. My daughter again laughed, tried it on for fun, and stated she was going to “fly away” because of the loose, big sleeves.
These are the times when I just have to sigh.
Yes. Some days we just get a big dose of humble pie. That’s not to say that the voices we hear are always right. Maybe my kids are wrong and I’m right in my interpretations and opinions.
But maybe I’m not.
There is nothing wrong with being humbled. God said Moses was the most humble man who had ever been born (Num. 12:3). Being humbled keeps you sound and focused. It helps your feet stay planted on stable ground, instead of floating on a cloud somewhere believing that you can do no wrong in your thoughts, opinions, and beliefs.
Everyone needs to be reminded that he or she can be wrong.
Everyone needs to be humbled once in awhile.
Being humbled and rethinking our viewpoints and perspectives from time to time gives us the empathy and compassion for others when they, too, go through stretching times. It reminds us, refuels us, and realigns our direction. We can all use a little tweaking from time to time so that we don’t get too big for our own shoes!
Kids are honest. That’s one thing that is so great about them. If you make a bad meal, they will tell you. And everyone needs honest people in their life: People who will tell you what you need to hear instead of only what you want to hear; people who will still love you despite your flaws and faults.
Honesty is getting harder to find these days, but it’s still out there. And there are still genuine hearts that can be a part of your life – just like your children.
Pause and Reflect:
Do we as leaders trust those we lead to be honest with us?
Do we trust them enough to believe what they are saying is true?
What are some examples in which those you lead have brought your attention to some instance when you were wrong?
What are some ways leaders can graciously accept those humbling times?
We may get things right most of the time. We may have good instincts and intuition, and be pretty successful at whatever we seek to undertake. But, we still need a slice of humble pie once in a while to show us that life is not so easy for everyone – and that our ideas aren’t great and fabulous to everyone. This helps keep us authentic.
These are the things that keep us real.