Can you claim your call more fully? Can you show up and do the work that God has called you to do, to occupy your role of leader with as much grace and creativity as you can. Live out your call, in the place where you are, just for today.
Margaret Wheatley in So Far from Home: Lost and Found in Our Brave New World talks about the challenges of working for good in the world we are faced with now. She suggests that courage is vital, and she talks about what she calls “warriors.” She means by this “those who have the courage to keep on, without knowing what the result will be.”
While Wheatley comes from a Buddhist perspective, I recommend the book for Christian leaders as well. Despite the difficulties, she says, “We do not give up our work. We act with greater clarity and courage once freed from oppressive ambition. And we cheerfully choose a new role, transforming from savior to warrior.” I would add that for Christian leaders, we don’t need to be the savior because we have one.
Wheatley also says later in the book, “As our hearts are wholly engaged, we experience ever more compassion for others, ever more confidence and energy that we can do our work. Our human heart seems capable of infinite expansion when we find the work that is ours to do. And that’s a delightful feeling.”
Spiritual practice
It is a deeply spiritual practice to open our hearts to those we serve, without judgment, without a sense that it is all up to us, and to let go of saving the world, or even our church. You can do important work, the work that God has uniquely gifted you to do, without a Messiah complex—in fact, you can do the work better. Without the intense pressure to make things come out the way you think they should, you will have more freedom to be creative—and to be yourself.
I was raised with a deep sense of responsibility, and you probably were too. The idea of letting go in this way seems irresponsible at first glance. What I’ve learned over the years is that the best way to be responsible is to be responsible for myself. When I do that, I’m more present with others and more engaged with my true work.
What are you called to do, and can you simply wake up every day and do it?
Comment below and let me know what you believe you are called to do.