We Are All Messengers

Well, we have made it past Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, two of the most recognizable holidays here in the United States. As usual we were bombarded by messages about Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday deals, Giving Tuesday charity opportunities and messages about end of the year parties and events. With social media, it seems the messages have been ramped up to “ludicrous speed,” as coined in the Mel Brooks sci-fi spoof, “Spaceballs.”

With all the different messages coming at us all day from so many sources, sometimes it’s easy to forget which messages are important and which are just noise.  With so many people, businesses, charities and organizations vying for our attention, it’s tougher than ever to focus on the ones that matter the most.

We are all messengers in some form or fashion, given the technology available to us today. You have the choice to be a messenger of good or evil, of trivial or important, of urgency or long-term impact. We also have the choice to think more intentionally about what messages to send and to whom and whether to send them at all.

As we enter the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season, I hope that you will think more deeply about who you want to connect with, why you want to connect and if your message serves a greater purpose.  We can all be messengers of unity, hope, peace, love and joy — especially at this time of the year.

Family First

It was total chaos in the Battista household for three days over Thanksgiving with my wife’s sisters and their families including our nieces and nephews and four grand-nieces and nephews, as well as our own three adult children and two dogs. It was also a blast! Getting together as a family is something no one can take for granted during the pandemic.

One of our traditions is to go around the table and ask everyone to say a few words about what they are thankful for and, as you might guess, “family” is mentioned a lot. In full disclosure, we are a religious and spiritual bunch for the most part and you also hear the word “blessed” a lot during our traditional Thanksgiving meal. The message of family and faith is strong in our world.

There was, of course, a juicy 20-pound turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, baked corn, creamed onions, cranberry salad, sweet potatoes, homemade applesauce and fresh rolls, and for dessert we enjoyed Peppermint Stick and Vanilla Bean Creamery Ice Cream, apple crisp, homemade banana cream pie, colonial innkeepers pie, pumpkin pie and apple-cranberry pie. We actually forgot to put the Honey Baked Ham out, but no need to fear, it will store nicely until Christmas.

The Role of a Messenger

My calling is to be a messenger of cooperation, collaboration and community — mutual respect and common courtesy for the greater good. As a Christian, I see that my role is to simply make others aware of the message and to introduce them to my faith that they may see the joy it brings to me and my sisters and brothers.  

My role is to pray for others to find that same passion and spiritual spark. But that’s where I feel my responsibility as a messenger ends. I won’t begrudge, belittle or bore others into submission trying to convert them or overly influence them. It is not a win-lose proposition.  I don’t get a commission for everyone that believes because I whacked them over the head with my beliefs.  I am not going to force non-believers or those of a different faith to believe what I believe.  Trying to force you to see things my way would be rude, insensitive and will likely just alienate you. It will ultimately fail to change your mind anyway.

What I also won’t do is hate you because you don’t agree with me. Likewise, I ask that you not hate me because I may not agree with you. Let’s listen respectfully, keep an open mind and learn from each other if we happen to disagree.

What I will do is encourage people to consider the message of hope of which I speak. I encourage believers and non-believers to watch a show called The Chosen because it is so well done, and it brings a message of peace, hope and joy. And what’s wrong with that? It is so well produced and stylish that even if you aren’t a believer, I think you will come away with invaluable lessons about sacrifice, putting others first, challenging people to be more than they thought they could be and simply caring more for others. 

My wife and son Ryan joined me last Thursday as we traveled to the AMC theaters in Altoona to see the sold out 2021 film version of  The Chosen Christmas Special. The totally engaged audience was entertained with a mix of joyful and inspiring traditional Christmas songs along with new songs by several outstanding contemporary artists. It also included a new episode that focused on the birth of Jesus. The theme of the show was “The Messengers” and the message was “People must know,” as inspired by a lowly shepherd who witnessed the Nativity. 

It was the No. 1 new show in theaters across the nation last week.

The Chosen is the largest crowd-funded television series of all time and the first multi-season show about the life of Jesus. It’s the story of how Jesus chose the 12 apostles. Like most of the season 1 and 2 episodes, this newest episode gave me chills, made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes. I strongly encourage you to watch the 18-minute pilot episode entitled “The Shepherd” to get a glimpse of this amazing series.

Working Together

I feel we have no choice but to listen to each other’s messages and to work together in these divisive times. While there are many good leaders out there, unfortunately there are also too many power-thirsty politicians, corrupt government officials and greedy corporate executives who send the wrong messages to the masses. It is my sincere hope that more CEOs and government leaders will genuinely put caring about their employees and constituents ahead of self-interests. 

While I am certainly not a fan by any means of Michigan football or the Wolverines’ coach, Jim Harbaugh, I have a newfound respect for Harbaugh announcing he would give  his bonus money to athletic department employees who took pay cuts during the pandemic. What will you do for those less fortunate than you? Invite a friend that’s not able to travel home for the holidays over to enjoy some fellowship? Volunteer for one of the many causes in your community that could really use your time (and donations!).

I personally think it is no coincidence that I was recently introduced to Tom Whitehead and the story of his daughter Emily and her courageous battle in overcoming cancer.  At my lunch meeting with Tom, I learned all about his daughter’s miraculous journey and their family foundation and I even received a copy of their book “Praying for Emily: The Faith, Science, and Miracles that Saved Our Daughter.” 

Tom also told me the story of Dr. Carl June, the inventor of the cell therapy (CAR T-Cell), that saved Emily’s life.  She was Patient #1 in the trial, and it was the science from Dr. June’s team and the Whitehead’s faith, persistence and courage that not only saved her life, but paved the way for others to receive the same treatment.  Now that’s a positive message we can all agree on.

You have the choice to be a messenger and to deliver your message with dignity, grace, and respect. I hope, and will unabashedly pray, that you will embrace your role as a messenger for the greater good, and patiently, and humbly accept whether those you address will hear your message and possibly embrace it as well.