Lord, We Want Our Sight

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

Matthew 20:29-33

What comes next in this story is critical for followers of Christ.  Let me start by telling you what does not come next:

Jesus looked at the men with great indignation and told them, "Oh foolish men! Why are you so short-sighted? I have come to bring you hope for eternity, so cast your vision for what is to come, not on what you may see today!"

And the men rejoiced as they continued in their blindness, knowing that someday they too would see.

Could Jesus have said that?  Yes, he had the right to say it, and there are certainly places in Scripture where he points people away from today and toward eternity. But his response in this situation (and in many situations in Scripture) was very different.  Instead of ignoring the men or downplaying their need, Matthew tells us that Jesus

"...had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him."

Jesus cared about those with physical needs and almost always did something about it.  He didn't preach to the men, he just healed them.  But don't miss what came next: they followed him.  That's what often happens when we consistently do good things for others in the name of Jesus.  They follow him.  And isn't that the ultimate goal?

When God Says No

"...having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word."

Acts 16:6

Why would God keep anyone from doing something good? From doing even what he has commanded us to do?   From doing something as important as sharing the good news in a hurting world?  Let's be honest, that doesn't seem to make much sense.

I suppose the easy answer is, "God's ways are mysterious, and we cannot understand them." I'll be the first to say I can't argue with that.  But there is, of course, a better explanation.  God has a plan much bigger than our "moment in time."  While something might seem good, it may not be best.  It may not even be close.  With our limited sight, however, we don't see what is around the corner, or what may come tomorrow. 

There are three things we can take from this truth, as leaders and decision makers:

• Right thing, wrong time.  Timing is critical for the effective leader.  Pushing forward with the "right thing" when the timing is wrong will lead to disasterous results.  Be patient, seek God's leading, and be willing to wait for something better than you could have imagined.
• Doing that "right thing" may not actually be worth the effort, time, and funds.  Some things might be right and good, but not part of your organization's overall plan and vision.  "Stay in your lane" at all times. Easier said than done, but vitally important in the long run.
• God may very well have something even better than you could imagine.  If he is telling you not to do something that may to most seem good and right, you would be wise to listen.

In Acts 16, God wanted the team to avoid preaching in one area because of a greater need elsewhere (v.9).  They responded to the need unhesitantly.  The rest, as they say, is history.  What will your history look like?

Your God

Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

Isaiah 41:10

Here we go again.  It's January, the time when our thoughts naturally flow toward the future.  What will the new year bring? Will it be better or worse than the last?   Will we experience an unimaginable calamity, or an unforgettable blessing? Or will it just be another average year without major highs or lows? Will I be the person God wants me to be - has created me to be - or will my year be marked by underachievement?

In all honesty, the last question might be the most significant. There is almost nothing we can do to control what happens this year, but there is much we can control about our response.  Too often I repsond out of fear, primarily the fear of failure.  Fear that I will not live up to my end of the bargain.  Fear that I will lead this organization down the wrong path, or that my decisions will cause pain for others.

As we begin this new year, my focus is not on what may or may not happen, but how I will respond. My prayer is that I will experience the peace of God, which is the opposite of fear; that I will trust fully in him through whatever may come; that I will truly believe that he is with me, and that he is my God.  

My prayer for you is the same.  May the God who is ever with you - your God - pour his blessings on you and your ministry this year!

What Really Matters

“The Lord’s blessing is our greatest strength.”  Proverbs 10:22 TLB 

Recently I gathered with my wife and children, seven siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, cousins, uncles and aunts, current and long-lost friends, and even a few strangers to celebrate the life of our family's patriarch, my dad.  Even at the age of 89, after living a full and productive life, his death still somehow felt untimely.  I was ready, and at the same time, completely unready for him to leave us.  I understand that as a follower of Jesus, he is far better off now than at any time on this earth. But I miss my visits and phone calls with him, his warm smile, and gentleness.  Even as I write, I fight back the tears. 

His loss has made me consider more urgently what really matters in life.  My dad never put monetary gain or selfish ambition above family, and certainly not above matters of God’s Kingdom. How many of us can say the same?  He knew that what really matters in this life is not acclaim or wealth or power, but the Lord’s blessing on a life lived for Him.  Dad did not leave his numerous descendants a large monetary inheritance.  What he left was of far greater importance – the impact of a life lived in service to his King, an example of what it really means to follow Jesus. 

From his meager resources, he continued to support this ministry (and many others) until his death. Perhaps he felt a certain obligation to support ECM, but I like to think that ultimately, he simply felt an overwhelming desire to be a part of growing God’s Kingdom, and partnership with ECM was a good way to ensure that God’s love was shown to the vulnerable and outcast in this world.  For that, he received God’s blessing and was welcomed into heaven by the words we all long to hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” 

Without a doubt, this is what really matters. 

The Other 5%

It's been said that 95% of what you do today will be good and right.  Congratulations.

Now, what can you do to fix the other 5%?

That may seem a little harsh to some of you.  After all, anyone who is getting it right 95% of the time is beyond successful!  But this statement is not about achievement, it is about improvement and growth.  A person who not only wants to succeed but also wants to be their very best can never rest on prior accomplishments.  There is always another mountain to climb or sea to cross.

We are called to grow in our faith, and while our works don't save us, we understand that what we accomplish in our works subtly corresponds in some way to the level of our faith.  The greater the faith, the more we should be able to accomplish through it.  As we grow in our faith, our faith should be more and more evident through our works.

And so we strive to accomplish more, to get better at what we do, to improve, not for the sake of our own glory or fame, but because our growing faith demands it.

When things are going well and 95% of the time you do the right thing, you will be tempted to congratulate yourself and take a break.  As a leader of others and a follower of Christ, don't give in to that temptation.  Instead, think about what you can do better, not out of pride or a desire to impress others, but out of a burning desire to use your talents to the fullest for his glory and the growth of His Kingdom.

Somehow It Will All Work Out

"I am not sure what to do, God, but here I go.  Please make it all work out right."

Richard Kriegbaum in Leadership Prayers

Just move.  More than once I've heard God telling me that I could no longer stay put, no longer consider my options, no longer put off the inevitable.  I would have to act.  Perhaps it was true that I had not collected all the information I wanted or felt I needed.  Perhaps I wasn't at all sure what the right or best decision was.  But still I had to act.  I had to actually do something.

Leaders often do not have the luxury of waiting it out, hoping something good happens.  They have to move forward, all the while asking God to "please make it all work out right."  This is not a cop out.  Instead, it is an admittance that we are not in control of the outcome.  Neither is it laziness, (assuming we have done due diligence to the matter with our time and all other resources God has provided).  It is a sign of humble confidence.

Move ahead. Press on.  ACT.  Somehow it will all work out.   Not because everything will go according to our plan or wishes, but because it will always go according to His plan.  And that is the only plan that a Christian leader should ultimately be concerned about. 

Gaining from Loss

"...whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things."

Philippians 3:7-8

Loss is always hard.

We are always trying to improve, to reach higher goals, to move forward.  We are wired to gain, not suffer loss.   When we lose, we hurt.

Yet loss comes.  We lose jobs and money.  We lose friends, co-workers, and relationships.  We lose parents and even children.  We lose our memories and sometimes our minds.  We watch others lose their lives, all the while knowing that we too will lose ours.

In any organization, loss occurs.  We have experienced loss of jobs, loss of money, loss of friendships, and even loss of life.  Our organization will invariably change as we move ahead, leading to the loss of the comfort that comes from "doing things the way we have always done them." Simply changing the way we do something means we have lost the way we used to do it.

John Maxwell teaches that while we all fail, the trick is to fail forward.  Perhaps the same is true in our loses.  Can we somehow gain even when we lose? Can we learn from our loses?  When we gain and learn, even in our losses, we grow.  ECM is committed to growth, to moving forward even in difficult times, to taking the  risks that are necessary to fulfill our mission.  In doing so, we will invariably suffer loss.

Ultimately, both our worldly gains and our losses mean nothing when compared with the joy of knowing Jesus Christ.  May every gain and every loss spur us on toward a greater knowledge of Him and toward our goal of bringing hope to the most vulnerable in our societies.