All posts by Micheal Hickerson

About Micheal Hickerson

Micheal is a writer and website manager who lives in Greater Cincinnati.

Waiting for a Moment That May Never Come

Challenges and Frustrations, Knowing Our Place in the Story, , ,
Waiting
Waiting is hard. 

One of my favorite poems is John Milton’s sonnet “On His Blindness.” Today, we know Milton as one of the greatest poets of the English language, author of Paradise Lost, and featured in countless high school and college literature anthologies. When he wrote this poem, however, Milton was better known as a political writer and activist. He had supported Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War and been appointed Secretary for Foreign Tongues for Cromwell’s Republican government.

In his mid–40s, though, Milton became completely blind. In an age before Braille, audiobooks, or computers, his career as a scholar and writer seemed to be over.

When I consider how my life is spent
    E’re half my days, in this dark world and wide,
    And that one Talent which is death to hide,
    Lodg’d with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
    My true account, least he returning chide,
    Doth God exact day-labour, light deny’d,
    I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
    Either man’s work or his own gifts, who best
    Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
    And post o’re Land and Ocean without rest:
    They also serve who only stand and waite.

The poem is thick with Biblical allusions and reflection. Milton begins in despair over his blindness — “My life is spent.” This is not only depression over his physical condition, but a spiritual despair that he will no longer be able to serve God. Milton refers to his “one Talent,” an allusion to Jesus’ Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14–30), in which a master returns to his servants, expecting them to have invested their talents (then, a form of currency, but by Milton’s day, coming to mean “talent” in the modern sense) and gained a significant return. Milton’s “one Talent” — his ability to read and write — is now useless. Continue reading Waiting for a Moment That May Never Come →

There’s No Such Thing as a Self-Made Man

Identity: Knowing Who We Are, Supporting Roles, , , , , ,
A self-made man
This statue of a self-made man was, interestingly enough, made by someone else.

Few phrases bother me more than “self-made man.”

First, no one can literally make himself. Even if your parents contributed nothing more than the biological material out of which you were formed, other people were involved in your life from your earliest days. Even if their involvement did more harm than good, it’s still part of who you have become.

Even if the figurative sense, however, I strongly dislike the idea of a “self-made man.” It diminishes the fundamental connections between ourselves and other human beings, especially those which have laid the groundwork for our own achievements. Frederick Douglass, in his lecture “Self-Made Men”, provides a definition of the term:

Self-made men […] are the men who owe little or nothing to birth, relationship, friendly surroundings; to wealth inherited or to early approved means of education; who are what they are, without the aid of any of the favoring conditions by which other men usually rise in the world and achieve great results.

I think this is how most people use the term: a person who owes his success to no one else.

Yet Douglass qualifies the concept of “self-making” by stressing the importance of relationships and the work of past generations:

It must in truth be said though it may not accord well with self-conscious individuality and self-conceit, that no possible native force of character, and no depth or wealth of originality, can lift a man into absolute independence of his fellow-men, and no generation of men can be independent of the preceding generation. (Emphasis added)[1]

Do we give enough credit to the preceding generations who created the environment for our success? Going further, do we conceive of our work as preparing the world for future generations? Continue reading There’s No Such Thing as a Self-Made Man →

Can You Help Someone Find Their Calling?

Supporting Others in Their Roles, Supporting Roles, , , , ,
Sailor writes notes of encouragement with student.
A sailor helps a 1st grader write notes of encouragement.

Some of my favorite people are those who have helped me figure something about my life and vocation:

  • My friend and pastor David Monroe, always willing to listen to my ideas and give honest feedback and encouragement.
  • Career counselor Nancy Parsley, who knows exactly the right questions to ask.
  • My former supervisor Chuck Hohnbaum, who, during one of his first meetings with me, told me that his job was to help me prepare for rest of my career, wherever that might lead.

I could list many others. Whenever I’ve been faced with a vocational decision, I’ve sought out the advice of good and wise friends.

We need other people to help us find and fulfill our individual callings. Often, others can see our strengths (and weaknesses) more clearly than we can ourselves. They can also confirm our own opinion of our strengths, helping to protect us against self-deception, as well as reigning in our excesses. Other people can also let us know about opportunities that we aren’t aware of[1].

Featuring Barnabas in a Supporting Role

In keeping with the theme of this website, I’m fascinated with minor figures in history and the Bible who played pivotal roles in the lives of more famous people. Barnabas, one of the earliest members of the Christian church, was really named Joseph, but everyone called him “Barnabas,” which means “Son of Encouragement.”

Take a moment to reflect on what it would mean for someone to be nicknamed “Son of Encouragement.” Do you know anyone like this? In his first appearance in Acts (Acts 4:34–36), he sells a field he owns and gives the proceeds to the apostles for distribution to the poor. This must have been an incredibly encouraging and affirming act for the early church.

Several chapters later, Barnabas begins his long friendship with Paul. Soon after Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he had to flee the city out of fear for his life. He travels to Jerusalem, but the apostles don’t believe that his conversion is real. Remember – this is the man who, just shortly before, cheered on the death of the apostle James. The other apostles, justifiably, don’t want to give him access to the rest of the believers. Continue reading Can You Help Someone Find Their Calling? →