To those who inspire...

I received an email from a good friend, the kind of thing I generally glance over, but don't give a second thought. It was a "friends" survey. You know, a series of fairly silly questions that you answer and send to all your friends, in hopes they really are your friends, and respond in-kind. As if that is the definition of friend or something: 'willing to fill out stupid online survey forwards.'

Well, my friend (who really is a friend) sent me this, with 38 questions in it, under the title "Can you tell I have no motivation?" I had to laugh; it was exactly the same way I was feeling that afternoon. And because it was a simple diversion, I indulged the time it took to consider the questions and send my own answers to some friends.

Question 1: What is your occupation.

Typical; I have an obnoxiously long "official" title, so I delighted a little bit in the nearly 20 words I wrote in answer, and giggled at the people who would have to read it 7 times to figure out what in the world I had written.

Question 9: Favorite drink.

Coffee, of course. Do people drink other things?

Question 19: Hugs or kisses?
Question 20: Cherry or blueberry?

And so they went. Silly questions. Until number 29: Who inspires you?

I have a prepared answer to this question, which I have been giving for many years now, and it is still true. My sister is a phenomenal woman; she inspires me to be a better, more hard-working individual, and to believe that things can change in the world.

But the more I thought about it, I realized that I cannot just have one answer to that question. The more I considered who is inspirational to me where I am in my life right now, I knew that the answer had to be bigger than one person. So I named two more people, who represent both the ways they, as individuals, inspire me, but also represent the sort of life that is inspirational to me, and what I aspire to.

M & B astound me; I'm not sure I have known them long enough to admit how much I just want to sit next to them, to absorb who they are by osmosis, and strive to exhibit just a little bit of what they have become in my own life.

On the very most surface level, they have just about the coolest job ever. After serving for more than 20 years as missionaries in South America, they have joined the denominational administration of our church (for whom I also work) as directors of missionary personnel. Basically, they fly all over the world visiting, supporting, and encouraging missionaries. In about a week they are going to Africa to visit several countries and fellowship with a gathering of African missionaries from all over the continent.

M & B are also leaders in my own congregation. As two of a small number of "elders" they automatically (and rightfully) hold seats of wisdom and guidance for many with whom they worship. And they do so with gentleness, compassion, and grace; greeting all with a hug and a holy kiss, taking a true interest in the well-being of our church family.

I have been blessed to become good friends with M & B's son, and experience their expression of family a bit more personally. They have raised three boys into men, all of whom exude an sincere passion for ministry and families of their own, and care for their friends and family in a way I believe to be quite rare these days. I love to be present when they are simply being their family, with no pretense and a welcome for all who would join them.

I ran into M & B at our annual pastor's conference a couple months ago, in our professional setting, and was introduced not as a colleague, but first as a friend. It was kind of awkward, as I was in complete "professional" mode, having just joined the offices. I chuckled when I relayed the episode to their son, who looked at me very seriously and said, "Well, of course they introduced you that way. Why would they care more about your job than who you are?"

This, I think, is where I am going with all of this. M & B have, perhaps unintentionally, become surrogate parents to many young people around the world. And they have done so with only the utmost humbleness, love, and care for the people with whom they deal, taking care not about a person's role but about the individual.

And I find great hope in believing there are many others like M & B out there, living quietly the paths laid out for them, adventurous and windy as they may be. Though they may never read this, I thank M & B for the life they model in the midst of loud and exhausting busyness. I thank God for the blessing of being a small part of their lives, and for the part they may unknowingly play in mine.

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Edit: When talking briefly about this post, and life in general, with my good friend I realized that I needed to make an addition to the list of people who inspire me. Ann-Marie demonstrates an amazing amount of wisdom in everyday life, and patience in situations where I would go crazy. She has become a dear friend, without whom I would go even crazier than I do on a normal basis. Thanks, AMOF, for all that you do and all that you are!