When is the last time you were the ‘new kid’? Was it when you started a new job, attended a new church, or perhaps it was while attending a new school? We all have been in this position and remember the awkwardness of not knowing what the ‘norm’ was. Not knowing what we should do, where we should go, or what lunch table to sit at.
In Dr. Bill Thomas’ book Into the Arms of Elders, he shares about wise leadership and how it makes a difference for someone coming into a new place. In the book, Bill and his wife Jude are shipwrecked and washed ashore on an unknown island, where an elder inhabiting the island, takes the couple in. All of a sudden, Bill and Jude, who were independent people, have to depend on strangers to survive. Thrown into the unknown, where everything is new, they have no choice but to lean on their caregiver and other villagers that share similar pasts. Guided in their journey by the wisdom of others.
Proving that wise leadership is vital in creating a caring and welcoming community.
