A wise man once said to me that he tried never to let people get so far out on a limb that they could not get back in. He was the head-master of a preparatory school. As an administrator he did everything he could to enable the staff to make meaningful contributions to the school. He positively reinforced good performance; and, when a staff member got out on a limb, he not only initiated efforts to help the person back in, he also avoided putting undue stress on mistakes or attitudes which made it difficult to come back in.

To me he is a model for maturity, not to mention Christian love. He came close to loving another as I’m sure he would wish to be loved himself. Never let another get so far out on a limb there’s no coming back in. Looked at in another way he built into circumstances an…