The rise was great, which meant that the fall would be at least as great.
They never saw it coming. They thought he was rock solid. He showed up to all the meetings, he diligently made all the notes, he didn’t cause any controversy and although he had his foibles, there was so much more to appreciate about him. Over time and doing acts of service that came his way, he appeared to deal efficiently with things. All to the point that he was given a significant responsibility and appeared to handle it superbly. It went off without a hitch. Everyone was pleased. He had done well and didn’t draw attention to himself.
That’s one of the reasons why they didn’t see it coming. But it came.
Things could have ended there and then. There was every reason to believe so. The damage caused, the trust shattered, the expectations let down significantly. It could have left a mark on his name and character that would have haunted him the rest of his days.
Yet it was a necessary failing.
That episode left him in the right position to learn humility. For although to all outsiders he appeared to be doing what he was doing in the right frame of mind, behind the scenes it became clear that he suffered from a number of failings. Chief of them was a distinct lack of true humility. Oh he knew about low self-esteem, he knew about seeing himself as little more than a failure. Yet he didn’t know what it was to be humble.
As he received loving support, so it became apparent that there were a number of issues that he had left unresolved. His pride had not allowed him to acknowledge his weaknesses and deal with them. He didn’t cry out for help and support, he thought he should just ‘be a man’ and carry on.
There was the key, though. Crying out for help. Recognising the reasons for the failing. Never seeing the failing as a reason to think he was a failure. Moving beyond the need to be a proud and silent man and working towards being able to build trust by being trustworthy. Not being one to be known for acts of service alone, but for having a character that made those acts worthwhile.
Sadly he died a few years after the fall. Those close to him, however, said that his final years included rays of hope as he felt less pressure to be anything other than himself. He was not perfect, but he did learn something vital from the experience.
The failing was necessary and it didn’t make him a failure.
In loving memory.
(Photo by Rula Sibai on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 