Weekly Thought – December 30, 2025
Fred spent his last years in dialysis three times a week and confined to his bed, wheelchair, or large leather lift chair when he was at home. He accepted his immobility as the “new normal.” He told people who asked, “I am not disabled; I am delightfully dependent.” His lifetime of training himself in the fine art of thinking served him well.
The Joy of a New Idea
I asked the senior vice president of a billion-dollar oil company, “John, what do you know now that you wish you had known when you got out of school?”
Very quickly he responded, “Fred, I wish I had had the humility of an open mind.” Have you ever tried to talk to somebody whose mind is tightly closed?
A common denominator I have discovered among eager learners is that they are not far from a paper and pen (or any of today’s equivalents). Watch for this. Engage highly energetic,, ambitious achievers in a stimulating conversation, and suddenly you will see them record an idea that has crossed their mind. Note-taking achievers can throw away their recorded ideas later if they don’t want them. (I find smart folks evaluate ideas and discard bad ideas). But if they want to remember one and haven’t captured it, how can they retrieve it? So many intriguing ideas float quickly away if not saved. Howard Hendricks, distinguished professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, has trained thousands of men and women to carry 3×5 inch note cards available to catch “big ideas.”
An outstanding young man I recently met said to me: “A leader is not the one who has the best ideas; a leader is the man or woman who uses the best ideas.” In order to do this the leader must have an open, discerning mind. Of course, I am not talking about a sticky fly-catcher that picks up everything that passes by, but an acute ability to open up to ideas that are helpful.
I always keep in mind that what leaders know is not uppermost – I am primarily interested in how they think for that will determine how well they will use what they know, and how they ascertain what they don’t… then create a strategy for obtaining the knowledge.
A world-renown scientist told me, “Fred, make friends with your ignorance.”
This week carefully think about: 1) Where are my blind spots creating a closed mind? 2) How friendly am I with my ignorance? 3) Who is encouraging me to become more teachable?
Words of Wisdom: “Fred, make friends with your ignorance.”
Wisdom from the Word: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8 NET Bible)