People Matter More Than Skill
I
want to tell you a true story and a confession.
During
my freshman year in college, every Sunday I would make the drive of 53 miles to
my hometown where my Dad pastored a church.
I was the music director and Dad loved it when I would bring someone
down who could play the piano on Sundays.
My
date for this particular fall Sunday was a classmate named Mary Francis. She was a piano player and I happened to need
a piano player and so we set the time and took another couple with us.
As
Mary Francis was getting into my 1957 Chevy, I got distracted by something and
closed her car door on her hand that was still in the door track. Needless to say, she was in a lot of
pain. I was concerned for her hand, no
doubt, but now saw my hopes dashing to the ground of not having a piano player
on this particular Sunday.
Somehow,
Mary Francis agreed to continue the trip, and we all hoped her hand would get better
with the hour and fifteen-minute drive we had yet to make.
We
arrived, she sat at the piano and tried to practice a bit, but was in obvious
pain. However, she went head and played
for that morning service.
And
we never dated again.
In
retrospect, I was more concerned at the possibility of not having a piano player
than I was at the pain I had caused her hand.
I should have manned up and insisted that she sit this one out.
I let
my need for a skill get in the way of recognizing her as a human being and
honoring what might have been best for her under these circumstances.
Before
now, I’ve not reflected too much on this incident to this degree since it
happened 52 years ago. What an unfortunate
fumble I caused.
What
is my takeaway now?
People
are always more important than their contribution or skill that they bring to
the table.
During
my years as a full-time music minister, I do remember telling my choir members
that sometimes you may need to sit out on occasion, or you may need to take a
break entirely from choir for a while.
And I actually had some to take me up on that. That flies in the face of my successful
counterparts who boasted of consistently large choirs and steady attendance,
but I did a good thing by offering that.
If I
had it to do all over again, I’d still give them a chance at a break, and I
would especially have let Mary Francis off the hook on that Sunday.
Skills
come and go.
Sunday
church services come and go.
And
people are more important than any performance, any award, any race, any piano
playing or anything else we may demand of them.
When we honor people, no matter the situation, we always win. Even if they can’t perform at that particular
moment in time, or never perform again to our satisfaction.
People matter more than any skill they offer.
This is what is
on my mind today.
P Michael
Biggs
Hope~Encouragement~Inspiration
