April 25, 2024 The Secret!
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3 NLT). ![]()
The Secret!
At age 93, in 2013, Dr. John Harding Lucas, Sr., was asked to share his secret for longevity and success. Lucas had spent over 50 years working in education. His accomplishments are too numerous to list here but notably, he was principal of Durham, N. C.’s prestigious Hillside High School, the alma mater of Pastor Shirley Caesar, famed artist Ernie Barnes, fashion icon Andre’ Leon Talley, Pastor John P. Kee, and of course, basketball pro-John Lucas, Jr. among other notables like GMCHC’s own Julia Chaney and Katrinia Ellison.
After he retired from Hillside, Dr. Lucas oversaw the reemergence and growth of historic Shaw University in Raleigh as president. He led the School Board that oversaw the controversial and racially charged merger of Durham City and Durham County Schools. A community health center and a middle school are named for him in Durham.
So, what is the secret of his longevity and soaring achievements? His answer: “Putting God first, others second, and myself third; wanting the best for all people and believing that it’s achievable through the pursuit of excellence.”
In 1988, Dr. Lucas and his wife drove about a hundred miles to see me get married at my mother’s home in N.C. He drove another 20 miles to attend the reception in Rocky Mount. When I moved away from Durham in 1989, he was also one of two keynote speakers at a farewell banquet in my honor.
My first encounter with Dr. Lucas was shortly after I graduated a semester early from NCCU in December of 1975 at age 21. After learning that a teaching position had opened mid-year at Hillside, I went to the school and attempted to see Principal Lucas. He came out of his office, told me to take a seat and said he would see me when he came back. I sat in the outer office for three hours waiting—and waiting! He finally returned and gazed at me with a surprised look. “You’re still here? Well, come on back,” he beckoned. When I told him why I’d come, he mused, “You have amazing patience!” He interviewed me on the spot then invited me to ride with him to the central office downtown where he reviewed my candidate file, then called one of my professors from NCCU.
Satisfied with his research, he offered me the job and said, “I am hiring you because of your patience. To be successful in working with children and others with varied personalities, you will need a lot of patience.”
God certainly has a lot of patience with us. Whether consciously or subconsciously, many people reverse the order of Lucas’s secret. They put themselves first, others second, and God last. But He is waiting for us to get it right. He wants us to know the secret of the LORD which is to put things in the right order. Put Him first, others second, yourself last and He will bless you in unimaginable, unfathomable, and inconceivable ways!
By the way, Dr. Lucas is now 104!
Focus Quote: “The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” –Ps. 25:14 NKJV
Dr. Alton E. Sumner– AIMM (An Inspiring Motivational Ministry)
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