GFM Blog Series, Week 3: Henry Gabriel!

GFM Blog Series: This spring semester we’re going to introduce what we hope will become a new GFM tradition—our blog is going to feature a short, open-topic reflection each Monday, written by graduate students & faculty members.  This week, we are pleased to have Henry Gabriel, Grants’ Analyst in the Office of Research Administration, share his "Classic Top 10 of Things I Know, Today" (love it). Thanks, Henry!

We’re on the lookout for people willing to post, so if you’re interested, contact Kerilyn Harkaway-Krieger (kharkawa@indiana.edu).

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For this post it was tough to pick a topic, any topic, partly because a lot has been happening in my life the past few months--events that I’m still digesting and will take some time before I think I’ll be able to write about what any of it has meant, or what God has taught me through it. Instead, I’ll go with a classic Top 10 of things I know, today, some of which God may upend tomorrow. :)

Since graduating in 2004, life for me has been an adventure with some breaks for rest along the way. I’ve worked in four organizations and four industries--clothing, janitorial services, cereal/cookies, and sponsored research. The first three jobs, in internal auditing, I traveled an average of half of the time both domestically and internationally. As an internal auditor, I was able to work with people in those locations and gain a depth of understanding about many things. With that and life experience, in general, here is a Top 10 of my early mid-life lessons:

1. Christ was right--mercy is more important than sacrifice, and love trumps all.
2. God is constantly with us, from the mountain top all the way to the deepest valley and even when He seems absent.
3. Keep following God, even when you feel forsaken--it always leads somewhere good.
4. Family and friends are always more important than profession and career. I’ve made them a priority and “sacrificed” for them many times, and it has saved my life.
5. Dig deeper and question assumptions and first impressions.
6. When it comes time, cry it out. Then go forward.
7. Diet, exercise, and sleep matter greatly in managing stress and improving quality of life.
8. God’s creation--all people spanning all cultures, nations, languages, and religions, and all landscapes, climates, plants, and animals--is filled with majesty and as God gives you chances to explore it, seize them and enjoy each moment to the fullest.
9. Most cultural barriers and mistakes can be overcome by making an effort/trying, respecting others, and interacting with humility.
10. Organizations of all kinds conduct most important business out of the purview of the media, especially the negative parts; consequently, the news of the day is filled with stories written by under- and misinformed people grasping in the dark and speculating about the truth.