Control or comfort?
I have been reflecting over the past couple of days about Psalm 46. It is full of symbolism of earthquakes, floods and the earth falling apart. It is a psalm that reminds us of our lack of being able to control what is around us. The only thing we know for sure is that we can stand! The Psalmist reminds us that The Almighty is our refuge.
This last couple of weeks have been filled with earth-shattering events. Financial markets are under the greatest stress since 9/11. Many of my friends are having family struggles and struggles in ministry. We have lost a couple of good men who left this world too soon in Raymond and Steve. The country and surprisingly, Ohio has felt the effects of Hurricane Ike.
I have a tendency to fret and worry and stay awake at night. Do you? I was reminded this week just how little control I have over things around me. It is difficult to admit for a recovering control freak.
Here is the issue in my mind. Much of what we mistake for being conscientious in leadership is really about wanting to be in control. Control is illusory. Micro-management will never work.
I am not advocating being lazy or not planning, but we all know people who see leadership in congregations and movements as controlling the people and projects around them. Leading is not about being in control, but realizing the comfort of the Holy Spirit as the Psalmist did and following His leading. It is about being able to take feedback and not feeling threatened. It is about realizing that even if things don't go according to our plan that the one thing we can control is our love for God and our desire to press into Him.
So are you like me needing to be in control? Is control illusory? As the world falls apart do you try to hold onto the reigns or do you trust the Almighty? It is very easy to fall into old habits or into the culture we have learned in a movement.
Today is not my usual type of post. I guess the question from me today is why are we so incredibly tied to control as a movement and as individuals? Can we take comfort in the fact we cannot control everything?
What do you think?
This last couple of weeks have been filled with earth-shattering events. Financial markets are under the greatest stress since 9/11. Many of my friends are having family struggles and struggles in ministry. We have lost a couple of good men who left this world too soon in Raymond and Steve. The country and surprisingly, Ohio has felt the effects of Hurricane Ike.
I have a tendency to fret and worry and stay awake at night. Do you? I was reminded this week just how little control I have over things around me. It is difficult to admit for a recovering control freak.
Here is the issue in my mind. Much of what we mistake for being conscientious in leadership is really about wanting to be in control. Control is illusory. Micro-management will never work.
I am not advocating being lazy or not planning, but we all know people who see leadership in congregations and movements as controlling the people and projects around them. Leading is not about being in control, but realizing the comfort of the Holy Spirit as the Psalmist did and following His leading. It is about being able to take feedback and not feeling threatened. It is about realizing that even if things don't go according to our plan that the one thing we can control is our love for God and our desire to press into Him.
So are you like me needing to be in control? Is control illusory? As the world falls apart do you try to hold onto the reigns or do you trust the Almighty? It is very easy to fall into old habits or into the culture we have learned in a movement.
Today is not my usual type of post. I guess the question from me today is why are we so incredibly tied to control as a movement and as individuals? Can we take comfort in the fact we cannot control everything?
What do you think?
posted by Larry at 6:32 PM
1 Comments:
Broken sleep is the only way I can define my rest at night. I don't consider it to be a control issue, or a desire to be in charge. I have really seen it as the first time I can unplug all day and really digest what the day held and what tomorrow will bring.
It is not a struggle with control, or command, or an insistance of making things my way. It is a response to Jesus call - "Come to me, you who are weary and burdened down, and I will give you rest." It is during these sleepless hours that my heart's deepest prayers surface, my most authentic spiritual reflection rises, God's Word literally jumps off the page with meaning and passion.
Grief is easily pushed to the margins of the day when the day is crammed full of activity, responsibility and obligations. The complicated feelings of grief creep into my heart after the moon is in the sky. My prayertime is regularly about 2:30 a.m., almost always because Jesus is calling to me, knowing how burdened I am.
And in those early morning hours is when I get the most amount of laundry done. For me, God's presence in heaven is filled with music, harmony, praise, movement and rhythm - and smells like Downy fabric softener.
Leading is not about being in control, but frequently does reequire a standard that says, "This _____ is acceptable and we will continue" or "This _____ is unacceptable and we will not continue." Feedback and authentic response is crucial, but the actions taken should not be exclusively because of the feedback input. Actions should be taken because something was the right thing to do.
Leadership involves the search for "the right thing to do" and then doing it. Responding exclusively to feedback is not leadership - it's second grade dodgeball without the gym teacher. "Go this way" "Go that way" "Watch out" "Stay away from them" "Avoid getting too close" "You'll never get them if you are that far away". And in the meantime you get pelted with every direct attack imaginable, responding from controlled panic not calculated preparation.
Leadership must include the presence of circumstance and integrity of placement to recognize the right things which need to be done, and then do everything within the realm of influence to assure those right things get done.
That includes sleepless night...just my $0.02.
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