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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, August 2, 2003

EXPRESSIONS OF FAITH
Stop, think and listen

By H. Murray Hohns

One season of life 39 years ago, I had a boss named Dwight. I recall him as aloof, withdrawn and certainly not one of the guys.

Dwight sat alone in an office down the hall on the way to the men's room. His door was always open but there was no welcome involved, since his head was ever down as he'd be grinding away at the task at hand.

One day I walked by and noticed him staring into the air. That was not the Dwight I knew. When I passed on my way back, he was still staring at the same empty spot. My office mates soon noticed he was behaving strangely and we talked about what to do.

Finally I got up my courage and asked him if he was all right. He replied that he was fine. Why should I ask?

To be staring into air, I said, was "not like you."

He replied: "I was thinking about a new way of doing what we did — a new logic system."

And he wondered why I didn't realize he was so deep in thought.

Well, I quickly got out of there, but on the way home that night I was impressed that my boss had spent the entire day thinking. I found it intriguing, particularly since I did not admire him at all.

Imagine that. The boss spent the entire day thinking and doing nothing.

I wondered: If I had done that, would I have been fired?

I ended up talking to the Lord about this thinking idea, later asking him to make me a thinking man.

As the years went by, I learned there was great value in being a thinking man, in mulling over what I was to do, what I knew and did not know. I, too, learned to stare into the air and think about the matter at hand. Sometimes I prayed for guidance while I was so engaged in thought.

I remember billing a hospital client for four hours of "thinking," and having this portion of my bill rejected since I was not being paid to think about the work, but to do things that meant something. While I continued to think on the client's time, I changed the task description so the bill was not reduced while I thought on my client's behalf.

When I read the Psalms, I know that David spent hours in thought. When I read the prophets, I know that they spent hours in thought; the same applies to Moses and to the savior, who often withdrew to ponder and pray.

Imagine going away to be alone in your thoughts and then acting.

I spent much of my life in dispute resolution, where I found that the typical client hadn't stopped to think. To them, results were what mattered; life lessons were a waste of time. I have a daughter who first reacts and then thinks far too late to protect the outcome.

I am convinced that the better pastor, employee, boss, wife, husband, parent or child is the individual who has trained oneself to think first, think again and think some more before acting.

God, would you make us thinking men, thinking women, to be thoughtful every day, for all of our days?

H. Murray Hohns of Makiki is a retired engineer and an associate pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship.