My desire to linger kept me fixed in place. When the tour group moved on, I unobtrusively remained behind.
My desire to linger kept me fixed in place. When the tour group moved on, I unobtrusively remained behind. Sunshine poured through the second-floor windows, and sand cranes gracefully strolled on the grounds below. An individual’s workspace intrigues me, and I wanted to capture this rare moment.
Standing in the modest corner office of Dr. Bill Bright, president, and founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, a sense of awe gripped me as I studied my surroundings. The painting of George Washington kneeling in prayer hung over his desk (The Prayer at Valley Forge by Arnold Friberg). A spear from the jungle tribe in Ecuador, the tribe responsible for the massacre of Jim Elliot and four other missionaries, stood propped up in the corner. Photos of his beloved family rested on a tabletop. And, of course, there was a globe reminding me that his commitment to helping to fulfill the Great Commission passionately fueled his every waking breath.
Then, it caught my eye.
A small glass paperweight rested inconspicuously on his desktop and contained a simple five-word inscription: I am not a grasshopper. Over and again, I read the sentence and allowed its impact to sink in.
“I am not a grasshopper.”
The explosive power of the meaning shattered the silence as I slowly gained a powerful awareness of the heart and soul of this extraordinary global leader. Oh, my. With his entire being grounded in the truth of his identity in Christ, Dr. Bright’s faith-filled perspective enabled him to endure leadership storms beyond comprehension and progressively march toward becoming all that God created him to be.
One’s self-perspective sets the trajectory of one’s life. For Bill Bright, he humbly saw himself immersed in Christ. Like Joshua and Caleb—the only two spies who viewed God’s promised land through eyes of faith—Bill Bright viewed himself through his relationship with Jesus, and he lived emboldened with a holy boldness beyond human belief. (Numbers 13:33 NLV).
Had Dr. Bright been sitting in the leather chair in the corner, I would have engaged him in conversation regarding the paperweight’s message:
How did you make this discovery? Was it your own insight from Scripture, or did you first learn this truth from someone else, perhaps Dr. Henrietta Mears?
What difference has this reality made in your leadership of a global organization?
Describe how such Biblical self-awareness kept you from ever being self-seeking.
How has this humility influenced your relationships?
Do you have a word to offer a generation struggling to find identity amid a culture in crisis?
Soon, too soon, I had to leave the office and rejoin my group. But the quiet visit stays with me, and the five-word sentence serves as a goldmine: I am not a grasshopper. When I view myself through the eyes of faith, I see myself as the woman God created me to be—His daughter, His delight.
Living With Eternal Intentionality®
Intimacy with Jesus
Authenticity with others
A passion for your calling
A purpose for your influence
What mementos on your desk reflect your perspective on life?
Do you see yourself as God sees you, or is this an area for personal growth?
How do these words, I am not a grasshopper, challenge you to see yourself as God sees you?
