Power can be a good thing - Really

My message to you on this Monday evening is about power.

This time next week, Donald John Trump will have begun his second term in the White House: Trump 47, Trump 2.0, or however you might refer to this second term. There will be countless debates about power and how President Trump can legally use his power to move his agenda forward in the next four years.

A lot of praise and support. A lot of criticism and opposition, too.

But let's take this message closer to home. I am sure that none of us will ever become president. However, we may wield power in various forms in our own, lesser-known, lives.

You just got promoted to a management or supervisory position in your company. You immediately note mentally the people in your sphere of influence that you dislike and want to get rid of or to demote when the time and circumstances merit it. You can make it happen sooner and not later.

You're a lawyer or a judge, and you've had a bad day. You take it out on clients or on the people who appear before you.

I could go on and on: Preachers, parents, public officeholders, police, soldiers . . .

Give someone some authority. You'll learn about them sooner - not later.

You can choose to go on a "power trip" or you could choose a higher path: Using your power with diligence, discernment, and wisdom.

That is my hope for my own life in the juvenile court here in Nashville. I have the opportunity and influence to steer parents, children, and families in the right direction (or not so much).

I am far from perfect, but I also believe that the "good" has outweighed the "bad" in my child law practice.

In case you're into the Bible, think of some examples: Mighty King Solomon falling out of favor with God in his latter years due to his loyalty to his concubines and their idols ... King Saul hunting after his successor, David, with the intent to kill ... The same David, after he became king, committing adultery with the gorgeous wife of one of his soldiers. King David attempted to cover his sin up. The results were disastrous.

All of aforementioned examples are from the Old Testament, but consider the apostle Paul, who, after persecuting Christians in the first part of his life, came to know Christ and to wield amazing influence that continues to this day in the canonized scripture that he wrote.

A couple of Bible verses to consider:
From Psalm 5
"The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong; you destroy those who tell lies."

From Proverbs 16
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
- James A. Rose, Publisher