This week's Pep Talk: "Our Highest Calling"

Have you ever had one of those moments, when meeting somebody, where you have an instant connection proclaiming, “I wanna play on your team?” Sure you have. I think it happens a lot in life.

I had one of those recently while enjoying a delightful lunch with Christy Cassidy, founder and executive director of Widow’s Walk. This organization partners with women in the creation of a “new normalcy” after the death of their spouse, faithfully dependent upon God, surrounded by a loving community and embracing life with hope, promise and vitality.

The mother of five created Widow’s Walk in 2009, nine years after life changed forever following her husband’s suicide. “I know from my own experience the challenges widow’s must confront with the unexpected loss of a spouse. Widow’s Walk is there to ‘stand in the gap’ for women searching for emotional, financial and spiritual support.”
As she shared her story, the phrase “stand in the gap” kept resonating within my soul. It made me think of the Greek word “Stekos” which, literally, means, “to stand in the gap.”

I had come across the word last fall when giving a Pep Talk to a high school football team. “Stekos” had been the motto of the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles during the 2010 football season. It was emblazoned wherever you looked and confirmed the wisdom of supporting one another.

Centuries ago, when folks lived together in walled communities, there were soldiers assigned to, when the community came under attack, “stand in the gap” of any holes blown in the fortresses’ walls. It was a task requiring courage, skill and commitment.

There are times in our lives when we are called to “stand in the gap” – home, work, and elsewhere. Those moments challenge us to walk the talk of never grow weary of doing good for others. It’s easy to say and affirm, but much more difficult to execute, right?

Cassidy found strength, despite the pain of losing a spouse, to start Widow’s Walk and “stand in the gap” for others. Where might it be time in our lives to do the same? Where might it be time to step forward with compassion and hold firm in support of another?

Illness, job loss, death and many other “what the heck is going on here” calamities blow holes in our lives and the lives of cherished loved ones. The question becomes, “What are we going to do about it?”

Let’s embrace “Stekos.” Let’s vow to stand in the gap for one another. Time marches on, unexpected and unwanted occurrences appear and through it all, one thing has never changed: the importance of caring for one another. It’s our highest calling.