Fail Up (26 page)

My response was short, about two paragraphs. I thanked her for her letter, which I wanted to believe was written out of genuine concern for me. At the risk of remaining unaligned with God, I wrote: “I will hold fast to my beliefs.”

In truth, I was never really alone. Throughout the Obama drama, there were always a few who held me up when my knees almost buckled. One of them called in the midst of my storm. She too is world renowned, only her forte is music. I wasn't home when she called and left me these encouraging words on my voicemail from one of my favorite hymns.

It was the first stanza of a song written by Thomas Shepherd:

"Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for everyone,
And there's a cross for me."

CHAPTER 20

FATHER
KNOWS BEST

I
interviewed Barack Obama many times in the years prior to his becoming President. I was never quite sure how he felt about it, but I always found myself at some point in our conversations bringing up his first unsuccessful race for the U.S. Congress. There's a reason.

Here's a quick refresher: In 1999, Barack Obama—a lawyer, former community organizer-turned Illinois State Senator—set his sights on Congress. The seat's occupant was, and still is, Bobby Rush, former Black Panther and perennially elected incumbent from Chicago's South Side.

Obama was trounced by a two-to-one margin.

A few years after he was handily defeated by Rush, Obama entered the U.S. Senate race and won, becoming the only African American among the 100 senators. With the audacity of hope, he set out on a quest to be elected the nation's first African American president.

He runs.

He wins.

He makes history.

Who knew?

Apparently, God knew.

You see, Obama's story fascinated me because my story, your story, and a whole lot of other people's stories serve as examples of one of the most common human failures. It's one that I repeated often throughout my life until I finally got it: The hardheaded failures that accompanied my increasingly complex plans for myself always wound up being far less than what God had in mind for me.

Over the years, I have had to finally learn how to let go, to realize that I don't dictate the journey—I never have. Like the time I was ready to abandon California because the job I expected wasn't there when I arrived. Because things didn't go as I had planned, I thought something was wrong with me. Ever had that feeling? Because things aren't working out just right that there must be something wrong with you, right?

There was nothing wrong with me. And there's probably nothing wrong with you.

It was part of His plan. I am now celebrating 20 years in broadcasting. There have been many incredible achievements that I've been blessed to accomplish along the way. The plans I've made for my life are good, but never as good as what God had planned for me.

It's impossible for me to share a book about the lessons I've learned without coming full circle. There are three things, I maintain, that sustain us. I refer to them as “the three F's”—Faith, Family, and Friends. My family and friends are crucial and very important to me. But faith trumps all.

My unyielding faith has been fortified by a Father who accepted my occasionally troubling turns, my huge misses of the mark, yet who never stopped responding to my human folly with exactly what He knew was best for me. No matter how much I tried to tell God what to do.

You Almighty

The concept of the movie,
Bruce Almighty
, is absolutely brilliant. Jim Carrey plays Bruce, a faithless guy who learns the meaning of faith by becoming God. The movie's “God,” played by Morgan Freeman, lends Bruce His powers to teach him a lesson.

As the Almighty, Bruce has to learn the downside of using his powers for personal gratification. But true to His nature, God gave Bruce all the powers of the universe, except one—the ability to tamper with an individual's free will.

Consequently, Bruce, even with his infinite authority, could not make the woman in his life love him for life.

She alone has the power to choose love. Or not.

That's heavy. The underlying message: You can't fade free will. We have all been granted the divine privilege to choose our destinies.

But our gifts don't end with free will. We also have the benefit of claiming our blessings. It's not about how educated, connected, popular, wealthy, or attractive you may be—God grants grace and mercy to all. You can't buy it, steal it, or sell it. You can, however, put yourself in the position to receive it, but you can't earn it.
He
chooses who will be extended grace and mercy. It is an unmerited favor.

I wrote earlier about the advice Mayor Tom Bradley gave me—“all things being equal,” the person who looks the best will win out. Although I understand the societal implication of his advice, thankfully there is no “all things being equal” clause when it comes to God's grace and mercy. The fact is, even when things
aren't
equal, if it's meant for you to receive God's grace, you're going to get it. The world can't give it, and the world can't take it away. I know because I've been the recipient of countless blessings that I didn't deserve or earn.

Talk about meritocracy; grace is the ultimate example. It is gifted to all.

Now, as the Parable of the Talents demonstrates, you can give your talent away or let it go to waste, but no one can take from you what God has for you.

Success in some ways is what each of us determines it to be. To me, success is the rock-solid knowledge that your gifts are in motion, that you are an engaged, activated, and organic part of God's universal plan.

Concentrate on You

In the movie, Bruce, as God, has to sift through millions of prayers and is burdened with the responsibility of deciding who receives blessings and who's left out.

In real life, a lot of us feel left out or denied. It doesn't seem fair. Especially when we see certain folk who appear to be advancing beyond us economically, socially, or culturally who we believe can't possibly be walking in the favor of God.

Well, I can tell you two things. One, I feel you. I too have looked at God a little funny at times and said, “You can't be serious! Him? Her? Oh, c'mon, Lord!” And yet, two, I know and accept that “God reigns over the just as well as the unjust.” In other words, some folk act a fool and God still bestows grace upon them, too. Remember, grace is an unmerited favor.

So, what to do? Here's where we cue Jeffrey Osborne and a group called LTD: “Concentrate on You.” When you're busy concentrating on you and making your own creations in the world, you have less time to be distracted by what other folks are doing or saying.

Each morning I revitalize and reenergize my soul with this sustaining prayer, courtesy of my dear friend, Dr. Gardner C. Taylor:

“Lord, when the evening comes and the night falls,
let me be able to look back on this day and find
something I have done which I can present to you,
that might not make me feel so ashamed.”

Every time I pray this prayer, I get reminded of who I am and whom I'm trying to please. When it looks like other folks are advancing ahead of me; when it looks like others are blessed instead of me; when nothing seems to be going right and the world seems cruel and upside down—I concentrate on me. And I recommit myself to doing the best I can, with what I have, right where I am. This, I believe, is all that is required of us.

Something Bigger

The decay of our civilization and the devolution of our culture are constant concerns for me. Yet in the midst of all the madness, there are signs, small signals that we are perhaps evolving in the right direction. Some people do understand that power is not the path to peace, and money is an artificial substitute for happiness. Some people do understand the difference between success and greatness. Said Dr. King, “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve … You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

It's not always easy, but I choose to look for the light in this world full of darkness. Most often, against myriad obstacles, this light is being shined by everyday people. But sometimes, even by the rich and the lucky, too.

The “Giving Pledge”—the brainchild of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett that so far has received commitments from 40 billionaires to donate half their fortunes to charity—is an encouraging sign. The movement has so many potential benefits. It may persuade other wealthy individuals to utilize their wealth in holistic ways to promote the power of philanthropy.

I adhere to the Biblical edict that “to whom much is given, much is required.” I have been blessed beyond measure in my life. Trying to give back is reciprocity for my many blessings. It's the rent I pay for the space that I occupy. I'm convinced abundant blessings will continue as long as I strive to bless others.

I pride myself on my discipline and being in tune with myself. I'm not a vacillator, nor do I waffle; I know what I believe in and what I want. But there have been times when I really didn't know which way was up or which way to go. That's why having my relationship with God is so vitally important.

I just don't know how people navigate through life without having somebody or something that they can believe in or call upon in those moments when they're stuck. When friends and family have abandoned them. When everybody has turned against them. When plans go so terribly awry. When there's no place to turn. When we fail and fall flat on our faces; what gets us through?

There was no clearer answer than the story of 33 Chilean miners trapped some 2,000 feet underground for nearly ten weeks. For 17 days, no one knew if they were dead or alive. Once found, the world watched with bated breath as intricate plans were made to lift the men from dangerously fragile surroundings. Finally, on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, the miracle survivors were lifted from the San Jose mine. One by one, each testified to the powerful force that cradled them throughout the ordeal:

“I held on to God's hand. At no point in time did I doubt that God would get me out of there,” said Mario Sepulveda, 40, the second miner lifted to safety.

Jimmy Sanchez, 19, felt a need to correct those who insisted 33 souls were trapped beneath the earth: “There are actually 34 of us because God has never left us down here,” Sanchez said.

Miner José Ojeda had a hard time explaining his feelings. There was no doubt in his mind that God had sustained them for a reason; he just wasn't sure what that reason is … yet.

“Here we have different faiths, all brothers in God … If God allows us to live, it is because of something he has prepared for us when we come out.”

I love Ojeda's acceptance of the unknown. There's no need to sweat the
whys
or the
wherefores
. He understands. It's the score of a song I adore, “I Understand,” performed by Smokie Norful. He does understand. We can trust His plan even when we can't hear His voice.

Now that's blessed assurance!

All I know is that I could not have survived 20 years in this chaotic, fleeting, ever-changing world of mass communications without something bigger than me to sustain and guide me.

I have not arrived at this blessed place with a contented sense of contribution and peace of mind because I'm the smartest, the most talented, the most connected, or the luckiest.

Big Mama used to say all the time in her broken English, “It ain't no good luck; it's a good God!”

Thank goodness, there is something in the universe bigger and greater than Tavis. Because I know this, I'm okay with the fact that I'm not human and divine—just human. As such, I know I'm going to fail from time to time. Here then is the question I've learned to wrestle with daily: How good is my failure? I'm okay with this formulation because I know that my Father always knows best and wants only the best for me. And that's really all I need to know to keep it moving. To keep working every day to get better.