Brave Enough To Be Bliss

Chapter 13 — Learning Leadership

“Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader…they set out to make the difference. It’s never about the rol e - always about the goal.” Lisa Haisha

My first hospital leadership position was at Saint Luke’s -Shawnee Mission Health System as the Marketing Manager for Shawnee Mission Medical Center and Saint Luke’s South Hospital. It was an overwhelming position since I was on my own without any staff for the first five months, but I loved it almost as much as I had loved sports information. It was equally busy, and I felt I had the opportunity to do work that really mattered. Within two years, the health system dissolved, which provided an incredibly challenging and exciting career opportunity. Prior to monthly Leadership meetings, someone would be asked to provide an inspirational, faith-related message. Shawnee Mission Medical Center (now Advent Health Shawnee Mission) is a faith-based community hospital owned by Adventist Health System, so it was common for prayer to be offered prior to the start of meetings. Following is the text from the first time I delivered a devotional message (May 27, 2003). Today I want to talk about worry…there are many things that I am not very good at, but I feel confident that I am an expert at worrying. I’ve been a worrier for years, but everything seemed to come to a head about a year after I graduated from college and was coming to the end of a one-year internship. There was simply so much to worry about! I remember sitting down one evening and opening my Bible just hoping for some words that could give me a sense of peace. But I was astounded when there they were, the exact words I had needed to hear. I read Philippians 4:6- 7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It seemed simple really and it was at least for a while. I found a job that I loved. I don’t like to fly, but since I had to often for work, I simply said a prayer each time we took off and I felt a sense of calm. And several years later I became good friends with the man who would become my husband. As a worrier, I had always been very cautious and trusted few people which is why it was so surprising that after only four months of friendship and three months of dating, I was engaged and then married eight months later. I really believed that God had put him into my life, and it was meant to be. Then several years later, I became a mother and began to realize what real worrying was all about. It now seems clear to me that not only was there more to worry about, but I had become less diligent in prayer and stopped putting my life in God’s hands. La st fall as we were preparing for the announcement about separating from Saint Luke’s, once again, everything came to a head. We finally had a firm announcement date, and I was relieved after numerous false starts, but nervous about how everything would play out. That same day, I got a call from my husband, and he said he had to go on a last-minute business trip to Europe and would be gone for a week. Now my husband doesn’t travel very often, but when he does, something less than desirable happens at home. A nd he never travels out of the country, so this really threw me off. I was worried about him flying that far away, I was worried about how the transition announcement would go, I was worried and feeling guilty about my daughter being with her grandparents for a couple days but didn’t feel I had much choice, and I’m sure there was much, much more. On Sunday one day before the announcement, I knew going to church would help, but I had no idea just how much. When I walked into church that day, sitting on my chair was this scripture verse on a little card that was the basis for that day’s sermon and it read, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I was amazed…for the second time in my life when I was really searching for help, I was reminded how simple it was to experience the peace that only God can bring.

The pastor encouraged the congregation that day to take the scripture verse home and memorize it, put it on our bathroom mirror or anywhere we would see it every day. I cannot tell you what a difference that made in my day,

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