It’s not uncommon for a transformational leader to be sought after by people outside of their realm of expertise. Was John a tax collector? No. Was he a soldier? No. Then why were these people asking him for advice, wisdom, and direction? What mastery in the inner workings of the life of a tax collector, or what knowledge of the mechanics of being a soldier did John possess prompting people to wait in expectation for his every word?
Failure is a human term - not a Godly term. God doesn’t fail because he can’t fail. His outcomes are always the desired outcomes. We need whatever he gives us. This doesn’t mean we must enjoy it, but it does mean we should be grateful for it.
Chances are there is something you are going to God for. A hope, a dream, a promise, a future. Something has been placed deep inside of us and we recognize, it can only be satisfied through a blessing from God.
Some doors we are not able to open ourselves. Contrary to what many guru’s today say, we don’t control our ENTIRE destiny. Our daily transformational work controls a good portion. Our habits, rhythms, and growth takes us some part of the way. The rest we depend on God to multiply.
If we want to swim in the deep waters of faith we must reach a point where we become fully dependent on God. It’s very rare to find a true champion of the faith who throughout their life only proclaimed the power of their own skills. A true transformational leader lets their life point to Christ. They speak of the mystery of God’s leading. They talk of stories of shipwrecks, jail sentences, financial ruin - all ending with God’s provision, not their own wits and strength.
We’re always looking to connect the dots. We crave causal explanations. We want so badly to know why things happen, because we want to control things, especially our life’s outcomes.
As parents we do all we can to manipulate the variables of our children’s lives in hopes of an extraordinary life of accumulated successes. As coaches we strive to systematize every process within our organizations so we can reproduce desired outcomes. As athletes we ritualize our routines in an effort to maximize our chances of progressive personal best performances.
We can’t help but overcomplicate things. We’re constantly making everything about us. Everything is merit-based. We wear t-shirts with quotes like, “nothing is given, everything is earned.”
This self-centered mentality permeates every aspect of our lives. We gradually minimize God’s part in the equation, foolishly thinking we can do this on our own. We find it impossible to comprehend that God needs us to do less. He needs us to stop trying to earn his blessings, stop striving to be the “best” Christian ever. He simply needs us to believe and demonstrate this through our faith each day.
Have you inquired of God to learn whether or not you’re on the right path? How do you know you’re heading in the right direction? God has significant plans for us all, but we have to be patient enough for him to reveal them to us.
In the performance spaces hope has taken on a negative connotation. Hope is viewed as passive, hope is viewed as weak, and hope doesn’t drive results. It is much more attractive to talk about mastering our fate, controlling our destiny, or manifesting our desires.
There are moments on our journey in which the weight of what we have been carrying becomes exhausting. The weight of leadership. The weight of decision making, culture building, organizing, and striving.
There are consequences to our actions. Real consequences! God wants nothing more than to walk alongside us in our transformational journey, but he won’t unless we are fully committed to him. We can’t be fore God only when we need him, and expect him to be with us always.