Reading for today: Luke 15:11-32 RSV
“Listen! For all these years I have been working for you…and I never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate . . .:” Luke 15: 29
There is a well-researched model of leadership known as “The Leadership Challenge” which identifies five key behavioral practices of the best leaders in an organization. One of these is called “encouraging the heart” and identifies those activities which leaders do to acknowledge and celebrate the various achievements of employees, even something as simple as always being on time, being a good team member, or perfect attendance.
Ironically research has found that this is the least often practiced activity by leaders. And when it is introduced in a leadership class, students often say “why should we recognize people for doing their job when they are paid preceisely to do this?” But as the creators of this research point out, we cheer for our teams when they score and they are paid to score. Celebrating the ordinary ongoing achievements of people has been demonstrated to improve their performance.
When I read the story of the Prodigal Son, I share the joy of the father who celibrates the child who has lost his way but then awoke to what he had lost and finds his way back to life again. But I also identify with the son who is angered by the celebration precisely because he has stayed home and done exactly what he was called upon to do. It makes me wonder how often we, like the father, overlook the ordinay, every day, blessings in our lives. How often do we fail to celebrate the wonders that are a part of our lives simply because we have gotten use to them; our health or family members carrying out their responsibilities without complaint, children making good grades, or the fact that our kids are essentially good?
The challenge of this passage today is to ask us – where are the blessings in our lives that we take for granted and how might we celebrate them, encouraging our heart as well as the hearts of those around us?
Reflections 