A few years back when I was coaching 8th grade boys football in Copperas Cove, Texas (Go Dawgs), I would come home each night with the odor of the day. What does that mean? My wife, Becky, isn’t a fan of odors that don’t remind her of “CLEAN”. When we first got married, I worked for a lumber company, and I would come home drenched in the smells of wood, concrete dust & day old sweat. When one spends a good portion of his day in the Texas heat all the smells attached to him are amplified.
Well coaching teenage boys was not any different… She would always complain that I smelled like sweaty, pubescent, teenage boy. Needless to say, it’s not very attractive or conducive to getting any post work kissy face, huggy bear action. Anyway, I would always tell her the only way I can get the results I expected was to get down and dirty teaching them. True success isn’t really sweet. It’s dirty, grimy, grungy, smelly and just plain nasty. Just ask any rancher, fisherman, farmer, oil worker, etc.
It’s been about 10 years now since coaching those boys, but I still use that experience in coaching leaders and being on mission. It’s amazing how so many things I did, as a function of one career became a valued principle and nugget of truth for each career to follow. I recently worked for a telecommunications company in San Antonio. I had 9 young supervisors working for me. During a coaching observation between one supervisor and an agent who reported to him, I told the supervisor the above story. I explained to him that he was leading too safe and not taking any risk. I told him it’s ok to get dirty, it’s ok to take risk and it’s ok to be successful as a result of what he learns through getting dirty and taking risk.
Just the other day I heard from this young supervisor. He shared how influential I had been to him and thanked me. He said the one thing that stuck with him was the above story and how he made the decision to get dirty. As a result, he was able to see things differently as a leader, learn more about himself as a leader and most importantly grow from getting dirty. He and his new wife have moved on to careers that align better with their education, passions and goals.
In our lives, ministry and mission it’s imperative we step out of our comfort zone, take risk and yes even get dirty. If Noah would have ignored God and not built the ark, all creation on earth would have been destroyed by the flood. If Joseph would’ve kept his mouth shut about his dreams, he wouldn’t have been sold into slavery and his entire family, culture and generation would have died from famine. If the apostles would have ran, denied and lost their faith when Jesus was arrested, beaten and crucified; humanity would have no hope.
“One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” ~ Psalms 145:4
It’s not often we get to see and experience the fruit of our influence in a persons life, but when we do…the joy, humility and honor is unspeakably fulfilling. As a leader, always remember we are being observed, listened to and followed. This is even more evident as a believer and follower of Christ. This generation looks to the previous to know how to forge new innovations for success. What legacy are we imparting to bear fruit in the young leaders in our generation?
James Miller Jr
“Missionary to a Generation”
*Published in the February 13, 2014 issue of the Port Aransas South Jetty newspaper. via Get Dirty! – Grace Church of Port Aransas.
