Go Deeper

A well known political leader recently wrote a book about an election that they recently lost. I was impressed and intrigued by the effort, as I truly believe that you learn more from failure than you do from success. Many people run from their failures. But viewed from the proper perspective, failure provides great feedback and can be an even greater friend. Failure can be a great friend when we are willing to take a honest look at what happened, why it happened, and deduce the blessings and the lessons that will prepare us for a better outcome the next time around.  I was anxious to discover what discoveries this political leader had made about themselves and the art of campaigning so I made a note to purchase the book, and planned to add it to my Holiday reading list.  

But before I read the book, I made the mistake of reading a review about the book. The review that I read was written by someone with keen insight, whose opinion I value and judgement I trust. Their review of the book was not flattering. Toward the end of the review, the reviewer made a piercing observation. The reviewer wrote that it was clear that the politician who wrote the book had not sufficiently delved into the reasons for their loss. According the reviewer, the book is filled with finger-pointing, score settling and  rationalizations.  The politician’s reflection, the reviewer opined, “was an inch deep.” Ouch.

I still have not read the book—and that review may have spoiled my desire to do so. If the review is correct, then writing the book was a waste of time and a wasted opportunity. It was a waste of time because if I am going to truly learn from my failures, I must be willing to truly embrace my shortcoming and mistakes, and not just the shortcomings and mistakes of others. And it was a wasted opportunity because although—as Socrates reminds us—that the unexamined life is not worth living, a true examination requires depth.

Here’s one way to think about the dimension of depth: it’s one thing to get your car washed. It’s something entirely different to get it serviced. Washing the car only addresses the surface of the car: the hood, the roof, the bumper, and the tires. Servicing the car requires that the hood be opened, and the engine be examined. What I concluded from the reviewer was that the book was more like washing the car than it was like servicing the engine. To say that the reflection was an “inch deep” is to say that it wasn’t deep enough.

Unfortunately, the reviewer’s indictment of that book can also be applied to how many of us live our lives: we don’t go deep enough.  As a result, we miss miracles.  This is one of the principles that can be gleaned from an incident that is delineated in Luke 5:1-11.  This is what happened:

Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, teaching the people as they crowded around him to hear God's message. Near the shore he saw two boats left there by some fishermen who had gone to wash their nets. Jesus got into the boat that belonged to Simon and asked him to row it out a little way from the shore. Then Jesus sat down in the boat to teach the crowd. When Jesus had finished speaking, he told Simon, “Row the boat out into the deep water and let your nets down to catch some fish.”Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” They did this and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart. Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this happen, he knelt down in front of Jesus and said, “Lord, don't come near me! I am a sinner.” Peter and everyone with him were completely surprised at all the fish they had caught.

When the disciples obeyed Jesus’ command and rowed the boat into deeper waters, they caught so many fish that it surprised them. And that is a noteworthy fact, because they were fishermen! For fisherman to be surprised by catching fish in familiar waters is surprising indeed. But God is in the business of surprising us. God wants to revolutionize our assumptions and exceed our expectations. But none of this happened for them, or will happen for us unless and until we are willing to move into deeper waters.

So today, I want you to make a decision to go deeper.

Look beyond the surface.

Ask why.

Exchange judgement for curiosity.

Don’t skim. Understand.

Don’t rush to be heard. Listen.

And when you look over the resume of your failures, just don’t point fingers and assess blame. Open the hood of your heart and see what’s there.

If you look deeply enough, you’ll find the areas that need to be addressed so you can go further faster.