The Surprising Best Friend of a Leader
“The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith…The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.” George Vest, attorney for Charles Burden
“A man’s best friend is his dog.” The origin of those familiar words is traditionally credited to the closing arguments made by lawyer George Graham Vest in a trial in Warrensburg, Missouri on September 23, 1870. The case was about a dog named Old Drum. It was suspected that a farmer had killed Old Drum because he believed the dog killed his livestock. Charles Burden suspected this and filed suit against the farmer.
As a young boy, I wanted a dog of my own. When you are poor, you just do not go buy a dog and in my childhood, there were no animal rescue centers. God knows the desire of a fatherless boy’s heart and so did John Bob Harris, US Air force pilot. My Uncle JB was one of the largest men in life to me but his compassion for others was even larger.
One of the greatest days of my childhood was when Uncle J opened the door to his vehicle and out came the best-looking German shepherd a boy had ever seen! I needed a best friend and Mickey was mine. I was given another key off the ring of leadership and did not even know it. Uncle J demonstrated compassion. Over his brief life, I would see him show that compassion countless times.
A fatherless lad has hurts that most do not understand. Uncle J had two sons and he was their best friend. He knew I needed a friend and my friend needed someone to care for him. `
The years that followed were years about learning to care for animals: My dog, cows, chickens, farm animals, and wildlife. Watching animals grow, perform their assigned function, and procreate were all life lessons but the real lesson was learning that it was the compassionate responsibility of humans to care for those animals. They were to be treated with respect. They were fed on time, sheltered when needed, healthcare provided and I was taught to be kind to animals. Wildlife was only to be taken for food and not sport. The rest of the time, they were to be observed and to marvel at God’s creativity.
For a boy a dog is often the first step in friendship, loyalty, protection, and compassion. Responsibility begets obedience. Respect is an act of appreciation. Reliance is evidenced by compassion. Those qualities were seared into my character and would surface as my leadership skills were deployed. A compassionate Uncle had launched a missile of mercy and the shot was a bulls eye!
It was my privilege to officiate the funeral of Uncle J. I remember sharing from Matthew 25 where Jesus said “The righteous will then answer him, ‘When, Lord, did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 The King will reply, ‘I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me!’
On August 11, 2016, it began to rain in my hometown of Denham Springs, Louisiana at the rate of 2-3 inches per hour culminating in over 31 inches of rain. Over 7 trillion gallons of water or enough to fill Lake Pontchartrain four times-more than 3 times that of Hurricane Katrina. The flood waters came, 13 lives lost, over 30,000 rescued, ~150,000 homes severely damaged. 90% of my hometown flooded, houses, businesses, churches, schools, my old home place, everything gone!
But what followed next was an amazing display of compassion. Louisiana people did not wait on the government or military but moved by compassion they led the way with family boats and vehicles- rescuing and saving lives. They provided food, clothing, shelter, encouragement, and compassion. Many worked tirelessly while their own homes were flooding. I was just one of the thousands who sat my life aside to feed, clothe, shelter, rescue, and rebuild-my key of compassion opened that door without hesitation.
When the waters subsided, it was back to work, mucking out homes of people we did not even know-more food, clothes, shelter, and today we are still rebuilding the homes and many had no flood insurance. It will take years to rebuild. However, we are watching compassion at its best!
Compassion is investing whatever is necessary to heal the hurts of others. Compassion must be the cornerstone of leadership. Going through hard times requires a get-tough mind-set. Go there and take compassion with you. It is realistic leadership; and realism is a powerful message.
Well, what happened to old Mickey.? My best buddy had a non-compassionate death. We suspected a neighbor who did not like dogs poisoned him, but he was the best friend a boy could have. You never forget your best friend or an uncle or even a whole town that is marked by compassion.
Watch for my next blog when we discuss another key for great leadership and share this blog with someone who needs encouragement today.
I am writing from a mountain retreat and I need to slip inside for that cup of coffee to balance the beautiful mountain chill.