Abandonment and Betrayal
The Stuff of Human Life.
Being a team builder can be a lonely and isolating adventure. One of the truths about teambuilding is that just as you have to be prepared to scrape “Barnacle Bill and Betty” off your boat to keep it lean and clean, you also have to be prepared for the boat lurching in the water when former best friends and teammates “Edwina and Albert” jump ship and swim to shore in the middle of the night without saying good-bye. “Got a better offer” might read the note left on the coffee mug. “Couldn’t take it anymore” might read the note on the refrigerator. “You have lost your mind! You’re dangerous!” might read the note delivered by FedEx the next day, still billed on your account.
The fear of being abandoned is deeply ingrained in us.
Even Jesus had an incredible need for companionship.
Time and again he asked the disciples if they would wait with him, pray with him, walk with him, work with him. His greatest cry of agony on the cross was not because of the physical pain he was experiencing; it was the temporary abandonment that he felt. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” he cried out, in the voice of an abandoned child.
So the truth is, it hurts when people leave us, no matter what the reason. “Et tu, Brute?” cried out Julius Caesar as Brutus, his former number-one fan and friend, plunged in the knife. Shakespeare found the theme of betrayal great fodder for his plays, because abandonment and betrayal are the stuff of human life.
So a team leader must not be surprised when the curtain rises and suddenly half the cast is gone. David Gergen, former consultant to presidents, said he was amazed at how often the feeling that “if I call, no one will answer” plagued even the most powerful, because “success has many fathers, but failure only one.” When times got tough it was amazing to them how many former friends suddenly disappeared.
That is why it is imperative that you are clear about your personal mission, and that you always remember that the human heart is fickle.
We have all been called into a leadership position, no matter what it is, because Someone had faith that when the smoke from the battle cleared, we would still be in our assigned post no matter what the others did.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, but lived to serve them in a larger capacity, saying “God meant it for good.”
Jesus did not utter a word of condemnation against those who abandoned him in his darkest hour. Instead he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” There was no desire for revenge, perhaps because he knew that no matter what, he was going home.
~ Laurie Beth ~ Live. Breathe. Joy.
Thoughts and Questions
Would you be shocked, saddened, dismayed, and bitter if the people closest to you turned tail and ran?
Would you let their actions define your agenda?
Spirit of Joy
Source of Truth, help me realize the hard truth that even after I pour everything I am into this team, some of them might leave, and others might betray me. Let me continue to love them anyway, knowing that you are my Source, and that only you are True.
