Categories
Leadership

Model a Different Way

Yesterday the US stock markets plunged another 7.3 percent, the seventh day of declines. World markets followed Wall Street’s cue, as key market gauges dropped 9.6 percent in Japan, 8 percent in India and 7.2 percent in Hong Kong, 7.3 percent in London, 7.7 percent in Germany and 7.5 percent in Paris. Radical pendulum swings between greed and fear always take a heavy toll.

On the personal side: 30-40% of our hard-fought savings seems to have disappeared. Apparently we’re one of the dozen or so people who haven’t liquidated all our mutual fund holdings, so we haven’t logged many actual losses… yet. The weird thing is that we’re actually considering buying a little more, once the dust settles. My dad was and still is a stockbroker, and his advice was to buy low and sell high. Hmm….

We have a golden opportunity to model blessing right now. People are afraid, angry and legitimately concerned. We can walk a different way by seeking to bless and give, to encourage and strive, to solve rather than criticize.

The amazingly fruitful ancient churches in Antioch and Philippi gave generously and sacrificially during times of others’ profound need. Most of us are probably experiencing a significant shift in excess resources, or non-essential wealth, right now. I pray we will not miss the opportunity to learn, trust and grow into a new level of maturity and contribution within and beyond our current circles of influence.

Let’s model a different way.

By Ken

Dr. Ken Cochrum (DMin, Bethel University) is Vice President of Global Digital Strategies at Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) in Orlando, Florida. An avid cyclist and aspiring guitarist, he also holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas and a Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He recently co-founded Indigitous.org, a movement passionate about connecting people to Jesus using digital strategies. He previously served as vice president of Cru’s student-led movements worldwide. He and his wife Ann spent 13 years in East Asia where they raised their two children. Ken blogs regularly at www.onleadingwell.com.

One reply on “Model a Different Way”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.