Grounded For Life

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house...She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house." When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined. (Genesis 39:11-20)


I love to fly. There’s just something about an airport that fuels my jets. Everybody is going somewhere and most of us aren’t doing it very fast. I’m lounging at Gate B10 in Boise right now. The smell of jet fumes and the roar of an incoming plane drown out the cheesy elevator music and hustle of harried travelers. Inside the security checkpoint it’s a different world where paths cross, plans change and possibilities cook.

Today is actually my first flight in several months. Ever since my job changed, my flight plans did, too. I used to fly 2-3 times a month on average. In 2006 I managed to fly Delta enough to earn “silver” Medallion—opening a new world of perks like free first class upgrades, early boarding and nicer security people. Last summer I flew enough flights on Southwest to earn a free ticket as I jetted between Boise and Portland for work. I love to fly, eat at new places and stay at hotels.

And then one November day it all ended. The airport runs. The rental cars. The hotel nights. The fancy dinners and room service. The opportunity to see the country, from Alaska to Alabama and Seattle to Scranton. In a moment, I went from a Center Director to home-bound Dad. I went from power lunches to whatever I could find in the fridge. I no longer wore ties, sealed deals, worked rooms, gave presentations, shook hands or made impressions.

To tell you the truth? I hated it. I felt,…well, to be honest,…I felt stripped. I won’t go into why my life changed (I'm still working on that one, myself), but it did and it happened in a moment. In a day, I lost my title, my corner office, my responsibilities, my schedule, my company credit card, my plans and my sense of purpose. I was no longer needed or, more tragically, wanted. I felt abandoned and alone.

Maybe that’s why this particular story about Joseph brings me peace. He had the same thing happen to him. Nailed with a false accusation of “sporting” (we’d call it rape today), Joseph watched his world shatter in a moment. He went from palace to prison, from head butler to jail bird, from a life of luxury to a cell block. The master that once loved him now burned with rage against him. The woman that once pursued his affection now schemed to destroy him. In a flash, it was all gone. Joseph lost his freedom, his title, his responsibilities, his plans and his sense of purpose. He was abandoned and alone.

He was stripped to nothing. The memory of a coveted coat and a pit surely crossed his mind. The love of a dad and a home-cooked meal had to cause him pause. Unlike his brother’s jealousy that robbed him of fancy clothing and dignity, this one cut deeper. Now he was stripped of purpose and prospect; haunted by nagging questions of self-doubt. Who’d hire him now? His references would bury him. His life isn’t half over and yet it seems all done. The dream that once danced in his imagination was now dead and cold. The worst part? This final “stripping” wasn’t even his fault. He had done his best. He held to principles and resisted passion. He worked hard, found favor and still lost.

It’s no fun to lose it all overnight. I can totally relate. Like I said, I miss my former world, but sitting through a long flight delay and wishing we’d be on our way, I realize life is what it is. I also know that, like Joseph, I haven’t really lost everything. You can steal a man’s title, his possessions, his job and his life, but you can pilfer his integrity. You can’t lift God’s Purpose for his life. I still know who I am and Whose I am. And as long as I have one Friend, then I have everything I need. That’s all that matters.

I’m just thankful I can still sometimes fly. It’s one of the few things that grounds me.


NOTABLE QUOTABLES ON LOSS AND FAILURE:

"The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart." (Robert Ingersoll)

"When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost." (Billy Graham)

“I think if you've suffered, if you've experienced loss, you're probably more open to understanding it and more comfortable talking about it and experiencing it.” (Anderson Cooper)

“No matter how hard the loss, defeat might serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.” (Al Gore)

“No one ever won a chess game by betting on each move. Sometimes you have to move backward to get a step forward.” (Amar Gopal Bose)

“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” (Denis Waitley)

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” (Confucius)

Father, I want to thank you for the times when I’ve experienced loss and failure. In these moments I’ve learned humility and honor, courage and compassion. Though being stripped is never desired and leaves me cold, alone and empty, I find such experiences only produce healing, renewal and hope. I only ask for the strength, patience and creativity to do the work You’ve called me to do—whether in palace or prison or pit. Amen.