The case for Shield Lock.
Last night I had the opportunity to join Swing State & Jolly Roger to share few thoughts about our involvement in our “shield lock” this year.
I left something out.
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I’ll never forget the moment I learned of Olive’s daughters passing. I was scrolling through twitter and read Greg’s words. I remember the next fews days with stunning clarity. It was as if the world stopped for a moment, and I did not even know Olive.
I try not to curse, in person, or on paper. But this is the worst F’ing thing that could ever happen.
For the next few years, I would think of Olive & Christina often. Probably the same thoughts that many of you probably experienced. I would apply Olive’s experience to my own life, and fears would overcome me.
There was a period of time where I could not escape the thoughts of “what if”. With 4 kids, I felt super exposed and vulnerable. I never shared those fears with many, but it was brutal. I could not go for a jog, without my mind drifting to the worst possible scenario. It was the first time in my life that I could see the crippling intersection of fear & depression. This is something I never experienced before.
This made me wonder. Who is going to be there to pick me up off the ground on the worst day of my life?
Having moved to Charlotte in 2015 after several corporate relo’s, I had kind of learned the art of building community. F3 accelerated that, but only on the surface. F3, at is Core, does not build community of families at a very fast rate. That work is on you.
I had no doubt, that if something were to ever happen to me, many of you would be at my funeral. I am grateful for F3 in that regard. However, how many of you at my funeral actually knew me? Knew my heart? Knew my insecurities? Knew my fears? Knew my wife? Knew my children by name? Knew my dreams? Knew Paul?
Very few of you.
I wanted to change that, and the answer was not burpees or merkins.
In January of this year, I knew I had to make an intentional effort to deepen my relationship with other men & families in Lake Norman. I sent a text to Jolly and Swing State kicking around the idea of meeting regularly, with some sort of study or purpose. I did not know that at that same hour, Swing State was teeing up a message to invite us do the same.
Our Shield Lock was born.
So on the worst day of my life, I know many of you will be there.
But now I know who will be there first.
My question for you is, who will be there for you? Reach out to those men right now.
Swamp Thing