I decide, every day, to…open myself to the frustrations and failures of loving, caring to believe that failing in love is better than succeeding in pride. ~Eugene Peterson

Last week RNS reporter Jana Riess stated, “Eugene Peterson died yesterday (October 22). I wasn’t surprised at this death – RNS reported last week the he had entered hospice care – but I was surprised by my reaction to it.” I can relate, it’s been a week and I too am grieving a loss I didn’t anticipate.

For those who may not know Peterson, over the course of more than 10 years, “he lovingly crafted The Message,” a colloquial translation of the Bible. The Message has sold over 20 million copies.

I never met Peterson. I have only read about and listened to others describe his life. I believe I’m grieving because Peterson was one of the few influential individuals I can point to who was truly able to rise above the fray and be fully present. What an incredible example of leadership!

Some leadership experts would argue that leaders can rise above the fray to a point of denial, with their head stuck in the sand. I agree, that can happen. However, when a leader can rise above the fray and still be fully present, that’s powerful leadership.

Here are just a few quotes from Eugene Peterson to illustrate his life above the fray and fully present.

• “We cannot be too careful about the words we use; we start out using them and they end up using us.”
• “Speaking to people does not have the same personal intensity as listening to them. The question I put to myself is not ‘How many people have you spoken to this week?’ but ‘How many people have you listened to this week?”
• “It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words.”
• “A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook.”
• “An honest answer is like a warm hug.”
• “Live generously.”
•  “If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself.”
• “Wisdom is the art of living skillfully in whatever actual conditions we find ourselves.”
• “Intentions must mature into commitments if we are to become persons with definition, with character, with substance.”
• “The primary practice of language is not in giving out information but being in relationship.”
• “Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless.”

Thank you, Eugene Peterson now among the saints, for guiding leaders toward living above the fray and fully present.