New Beginnings
It’s after midnight now, and President Obama begins his first full day on the job after a night of celebration, dancing and song. He’ll most likely start this morning with his national security brief and then get on with the issues at hand as he motivates a nation to respond to the hope and the promise that came from his campaign and then was reinforced very elegantly in his inauguration speech.
In his new job now, President Obama wears many hats. He’s the commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful military. He’s the chief executive officer of the government bureaucracy. He’s the chief visionary for global democracy and freedom. He’s the chief motivator for a country that’s short on optimism. He’s the chief steward for the nation’s taxpayers. He’s the primary script writer and then director of the movie that will become his legacy for the next 4 or 8 years. And, he’s the principle architect of a mammoth structure/infrastructure that will take 4 or 8 years to build and, depending on the materials used during that building process, could wash away with the vote of the people or stand forever as a symbol of common values and common purpose.
On this day of new beginnings with so many new roles, I offer our President my prayers and my support. And I’ll ask God to bless our new President the same as He blessed Solomon thousands of years ago (1 Kings 4:29):
And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore.
And I also offer our President some sage advice that comes from a good friend and fellow CEO – “you don’t lead alone”. As the burdens of leadership grow heavy and the magnitude of decisions intensify, remember those millions of people cheering you yesterday and those hundreds of millions more viewing and listening with great excitement and great hope around this nation and around this world.  And as you remember all of those who you now lead in any of the roles I mentioned earlier, reach out to all of us. Use our hands and our feet as your instruments.  Use our minds and our imaginations as your planners and script writers. Use our passions and our hopes as your motivation and your encouragement.
Together, let’s drive forward with common commitment and common purpose. Together, let’s act with dignity and respect for all men. Together, let’s listen to the whispers of those who may not think they have a voice and respond in love to the needs of this nation and this world. And together in love, let’s change the world.