Christian Latina Leadership Blog

By Adalia Gutiérrez-Lee

Para leer la versión en español haga clic aquí

When celebrating Father’s Day some days ago, I once again remembered this famous phrase from my father, Rolando Gutiérrez-Cortés. I am sure that I am not the only one who remembers my dad saying “Don’t go back even to gain momentum.” Many other people also remember my dad using this phrase because his joy and optimism were contagious. I, not only — “owe” him the genes I inherited from him, but also the countless occasions in which he encouraged me to keep going; to finish what I had started; to not give up; and, to not think that — no matter how difficult the circumstances were — I lacked sufficient strength, ability, or resources to face any situation.

This injected me with confidence! I thank him for so many teachings that have guided me in my personal life and as a leader!

Listing in a few lines the learnings about family, ministry, personal life, faith, vocation, church, theology, missions or many other topics that I received from my father, would be fruitless. However, I want to share here some of his phrases that highlight his human quality, his unwavering faith, and his passion for always seeing the positive side of things.

Dad always explained his way of thinking to help us, his daughters and his son, learn to make wise decisions. He said that, when the reasons for making decisions are verbally expressed at home, the opinion of the entire family helps to consider all the variables, form principles, and make the best decision at the time.

Dad said that the two great things that my mother and he were going to bequeath to us were: our faith in God and completing our degrees. These were the two great tools that were going to help us, support us, and direct us throughout life.

Dad also urged us to recognize that no matter what profession we studied, our vocation was to serve God and people. And that the profession was only an instrument to fulfill our vocation.

My father encouraged me to continue my postgraduate studies in the United States after I finished my degree as a medical doctor. I felt my calling to continue preparing myself to holistically help people with fewer economic resources so that they too could enjoy mental, physical, and spiritual health. However, I reminded him that my English was limited or almost non-existent and his idea of ​​me studying in English was not going to work.

I took the English exam and, as expected, I did not meet the language requirements to do my postgraduate degree. Despite this, upon seeing the results, my dad said: “You won’t have any problem learning English. You haven’t gotten there yet, and you already had more than half of the answers correct.” And the rest is history. I ended up studying in the U.S. and met my husband with whom I have been sharing life and ministry for many years. Wow, my dad always saw the glass as half full!

Dad said that “being optimistic” was not “not being realistic,” but rather “a way of visualizing and optimizing the resources we have, in order to achieve our goals and dreams.”  That “one step in time, taken at the right time, means finishing on time and with success.”

His phrase “don’t go back, not even to gain momentum” was frequently accompanied by his other favorite phrase “sursum corda” “up hearts!” It was his way of repeating to us over and over again: May our spirits not fail, may our faith not fail, God is faithful and sustains us at all times.

Dad was a pastor his entire adult life*. He said that “desk” theology isolated and not contemplated within the community of faith did not reflect a vibrant, contextualized, hope-filled faith. He said that our “study” of God should be in community, in order to avoid falling into a theoretical faith, full of doctrines and lacking the transcendence that as the People of God and the Body of Christ we should have in the world.

He said that throughout his 38 years of marriage to my mother, he experienced “the mystery of sameness.”  He called us his theological virtues: my sister Edna was his faith, my brother Gustavo his hope, and I was his love. So, when our youngest sister was born, in our childish innocence, we asked him in anguish, what would she be? And he called her Eunice to assure us that she would be his victory.

Over the years, all of these phrases have become a pillar in my personal, ministerial and leadership life.

Last year I wrote a blog for CLLI about my mom and I concluded it with an invitation to think about motherhood more broadly. Today I want to extend a similar invitation. This time I invite you to contemplate fatherhood in a broader sense – in the context of biological, adoptive, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual fatherhood. What father figures have manifested in your life for which you can thank God? In what ways can you inspire and encourage others like only a father can?

Up, hearts! May all our lives be for the glory of God.

*Editor’s note: Dr. Rolando Gutiérrez-Cortés, Adalia’s father, was a brilliant pastor, theologian and leader, recognized worldwide for his pastoral work and theological articulations. To learn more about his life, click here to read this article available only in Spanish.