What roles can we play in humility?

[Anonymous]

Roles are important. You are recognized by others for the role you play in THEIR lives. The most important role for much of my life has been as a father, as a mentor to my children. Their respecting and acknowledging my role in their lives is required for me to fulfill that role.

By extrapolating, the same characteristics seem to me to be necessary in most roles we play, regardless of circumstance or venue. Fulfilling a role implies action. So, it seems, one may only play an effective role in any relationship if the others in that relationship permit it by granting you the respect required. That is sometimes more difficult to achieve than we would like. It often requires an acknowledgement of the gifts you have been given, and trusting that you will use those gifts to benefit- and not harm the others in that relationship.

[Becca Sheffler]

I’ve observed an interesting phenomenon in this season of life. I used to really struggle to fulfill the roles I thought were mine. I always felt that I somehow fell short, likely because I couldn’t force others to respect me, like me, listen to me, etc. These days, I don’t try so hard and it seems to have resulted in my taking on roles I never expected. They just seem to fall into my lap! The fascinating thing is that those who seek me out already respect me. (Don’t ask me why! 😏) As long as I just keep living the way I was already living, that doesn’t seem to change. Is this perhaps a sign of a tiny bit of wisdom having come with age?

[Author]

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