I’m in a season of self-reflection.
Recently, I’ve asked myself simple questions and yet am left with complex answers. I’ve discovered others’ decisions, opportunities, problems, or challenges are taking up a significant chunk of my thought life.
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!” – John 21:22
Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. – Romans 14:4
I am working through and walking through this call with Him. How is He using my talents? Are there ways my mind wanders, inevitably wasting time and treasures meant for the glory of His kingdom?
Guarding the Teacher’s Heart
I love to see all people grow and develop. I want so much good for others! To speak into someone’s life in a way that equips them to grow is a great privilege. To do so, you must have built trust and integrity in the relationship. You see their potential and help them identify the barriers that are holding them back.
I think the gift and opportunity to inspire or teach others is similar to what life could be like for a comic book superhero.
But this gift to others often takes a toll on self. If I’m not careful, not intentional – I wander down a more private road where my energies are wasted.
Past without Purpose
Wasting my energies leads to frustration, cynicism, anxiety, disappointment, and short-temperedness.
Life starts to look like the has-been-warrior-superhero. His life of public success has drawn to a close. He sits and wastes his days eating and drinking too much. Lean muscle and keen eyes have been covered by fatness and fog. He tells the stories of the past and rails against today’s generation, failing to see the potential superheroes among them. His glory days are behind him. His experiences are only entertaining stories. His mind and mouth are active thinking and talking about what others should do differently.
Superheroes Surrender
Most of the time, if the superhero wants to live a humble and healthy life, he or she needs to walk around each day focused on their everyday non-superhero work. Though in the spotlight when it’s time to save the day, superheroes are seemingly normal people doing life just like the rest of us.
Heroes recharge their batteries before their next emergency because they know their source of power.
To constantly spend energy and power analyzing, forming opinions, and discussing what others should or could do better, without their personal engagement, is a waste of the precious gifts and “superpowers” that God equips you with.
The antidote for this in my life is knowing who my leader is and following Him! In this way, each experience and new season and aging year become a move forward in following Him.
There is such freedom and joy in putting aside my opinions of others and entrusting them to His care. I follow Him!
My focus must be on keeping myself available in each new day and each new season. I must be ready to apply the lessons learned of experience, suffering and any wisdom and insight He has given me. But only when called upon, because I follow Him!
Do this in a spirit of availability and obedience for Him. Put aside the spirit of criticism and self indulgent opinions of the way things ought to be. He knows how it ought to be. I follow Him!
I would love to share with you more of what God is showing me as I continue to grow as a leader. Click here to get personal leadership insights from me via text.