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Book of TREE 1.80

A million years ago when I was a youth pastor in Tucson, Arizona, one of the kids in my youth group invited me to an early morning youth pastors’ breakfast at his Christian high school. Obviously, I said I would go.

I was not a morning person. The high school was on the other side of the city from my apartment. In the shower the morning of the breakfast, I flaked out. I decided I was too tired and I couldn’t be bothered. No big deal.

Turns out, it was a big deal. The guy who invited me was hurt. I made him look like a chump. I made me look like a lowdown, no good, selfish jerk. Because that’s what I was.

When I realised what I had done and the effect it had, I apologised and owned it. But the damage could not be all the way undone for at least a couple years.

If you say you’ll do a thing, do the thing, even if it’s costly. I learned that lesson so deeply that I never forgot until I did almost the same thing to a graphic design client about seven years later. After I lost the client, the lesson finally stuck.

This will improve your Thursday.

Grow slowly
Jeff