Last week, David Gregory, former NBC Moderator of Meet the Press, spoke about his difficult departure from the show and his journey towards spiritual renewal in the aftermath.
Gregory reflected on moments from his past in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. In coming to terms with being dismissed from Meet the Press and the controversy and humiliation surrounding that situation, he stated that in his time as a journalist he asked the questions. However, it was three compelling questions other asked him that stirred him to think about who he was and what he believed in strengthening his spirituality.
The first question came in 2008 by then President George W. Bush who asked, “’Gregory, how’s your faith?’” Bush, a famously devout Christian, wasn’t proselytizing, but trying to support Gregory in his journey of faith.
In giving his answer Gregory wrote:
I explained that I was trying to deepen my Jewish faith and connect with the Christian beliefs of my wife. Getting closer to God, I reasoned, could only make me a better husband and father. I often thought back to the president’s words—How’s your faith?—over the next few years as I considered more deeply what I believed.
His second thought-provoking question came from his wife, Beth, who asked, “…what do you believe?” Gregory noted that he was of Jewish decent and desired his children be raised Jewish. His wife on the other hand is Methodist and has made several sacrifices for the sake of her husband’s Jewish ethnicity.
During a Sunday service last year that I attended with Beth, while our children were at our synagogue’s Sunday school, Pastor Ginger Gaines-Cirelli spoke of how human beings are always in transition, “being and becoming.” Beth told me afterward that when she makes church part of the rhythm of her week, it helps her reflect on her life in a way she has trouble doing otherwise.
I never realized how difficult it would be for her to give up her traditions and miss out on sharing religious experiences and teachings with her children. I was selfish, and that pain lingers in many interfaith families. I go to church more often with Beth now and encourage us all to go as a family to recognize her sacrifice and to honor her traditions.
Gregory’s third question came from Erica Brown, a Jewish educator, who asked, “[w]ho would you be if you lost it all?” The question was a timely one as Gregory was experiencing first-hand the devastation of losing a career that brought with it title and prestige.
Gregory recalled a biblical story of humility about the Prophet Elijah:
…when the prophet Elijah is about to ascend to heaven and asks his nervous disciple, Elisha, how he can help the younger man carry on their work. Elisha replies: “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”
Gregory pointed out how difficult it was to leave NBC, but he wanted to leave with as much grace as possible to be a good example to his children. But he claimed that through it all was his faith that helped him through his trials and made him examine what he believed.
He concluded his piece with an encouraging observation:
It has been faith that steadied me. The humbling loss turned out to be a gift, because I have seen how many fresh opportunities for growth and happiness await—even if it hasn’t gone according to my plan. Most plainly, I understand: In joy, pain and even in personal failure, God is close.
