This week, the organization I work for has provided us with the opportunity to attend the Willow Creek Association Leadership Summit simulcast. I confess, I missed the Summit last summer because of a family wedding, and I wasn't all that heart broken -- but that's because I didn't know what I was missing. Yesterday, I took in so much great information and heard so many challenging speeches, I can hardly wait for the event to get started today. I hope to blog more about the great men and women I heard, their organizations, and their charges, but the thing that's stuck with me through last night was a quote by Marianne Williamson that Nelson Mandela used during his innagural speech. And, well, you know me, I love a good quote! Chew on this one.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Obviously, this is not scripture, and I'm sure we could debate a few theological points. I'm not encouraging you to memorize it or anything, just read it, think on it. See if it doesn't challenge you in some way.
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