It is time!

I have had the privilege of attending a simulcast of the Global Leadership Summit, an annual event sponsored by the Willow Creek Association.  I attended with two other men from my church.  Last night as we were discussing the highlights of the day, I shared that in my current position, I felt my hands were tied and my feet were bound and that prevented me from doing some of the leadership practices that had been taught during the course of the Summit.  I had no sooner gotten those words out when my friend Jimmy said, "then lead from your knees!"  I immediately called him a name that I shall not repeat here.  He was  right.  I was making excuses implying that someone else was controlling me and the abilities I  had.  I was also saying that I was limited and I was constrained. My perspective needed to change.  With one comment, my friend showed me that I have become too dependent on my circumstances and my self.  I have been trying to do things for a long time based on my abilities. I was reminded that is is time for me to stop relying on my abilities and start relying on the abilities of my Savior.  

I have prayed every day that I can remember.  I have prayed for others to be blessed.  I have prayed for wisdom.  I have prayed for my family.  I have prayed for my finances and I have prayed for others' finances.  I have prayed for sickness and I have prayed for those who were mourning.  I have prayed for everything under the sun it seems.  I would have until yesterday, considered myself a praying man.  Even so, in just a moment, I was challenged beyond challenges. "Lead from your knees." So I did.  Bad knees and all.  This morning my prayer posture changed.  In my room, alone, in the quiet of the morning, I was able to get on my knees before a Holy and Mighty God and totally submit my leadership abilities and inabilities, my talents and lack of talent, and my circumstances which I can control and those which I cannot.  It was time.  I do not know what the future holds, but I do, without a shadow of doubt, know Who holds my future.

Gutted

In the movie "The Lone Ranger," the villain kills Captain Dan Reid, the brother of John Reid.  It is a nasty scene and the Texas Ranger is for lack of better terms, gutted.  The rest of the movie is about how John Reid partners with a Native American and avenges his brother Captain Reid's horrific death.  I must confess that as I watched this scene, I thought this is really bad and probably something that I should not have taken my family to see.  Funny thing is, my daughters loved it!  They thought it was cool when "that guy was gutted!"  I have officially failed as a father, but that is a different blog for another time.  Have you ever been gutted?  Maybe not grotesquely like portrayed in this movie, but perhaps you have been gutted in a different way.  Perhaps a relationship that you poured everything into ended abruptly.  Perhaps that job promotion you deserved and wanted but you were not chosen.  Perhaps an injury sidelines you your senior season.  Perhaps it was that last glimmer of hope that faded completely away.  Gutted.  One definition states it this way:  "to remove the vital or essential parts from."  Gutted. Have you ever had something happen to you that removed the vital or essential parts from your inner being?  Gutted. Unfortunately, life happens and when it does, things do not always turn out the way you planned or hoped.  So when you have been gutted, what do you do?  When you find yourself dealing with the pain of being gutted, you may find yourself at a loss in what to do.  As you review and think about your circumstance, here are a few recommendations to get through that feeling of being gutted.  

First, look where you are standing both figuratively and literally.  Are you in a place geographically that you should not be?  There are places where one needs to be very careful.   An alcoholic would not do well in a bar.  A glutton would not do well at a buffet.  A kleptomaniac would not do well at a store that allows customers to pay "on your honor."  The point is that if one knows his or her limitations, one should be careful in the environment which they dwell.  This happens when self-examination occurs on a regular basis.  What are you standing on?  Matthew 7:24-27 portrays difference between the wise and foolish builders.  The foolish builder builds his house on the sand but when the storm comes and the waters rise, the house is washed away.  The wise builder has built on a firm foundation that is rock solid.  The Psalmist wrote "the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock."  Where are you standing and what are you standing on right now?  Look at your feet.  Chances are if you are standing on a rock of truth right now, you will be still standing on that same rock when you are gutted.  If you are not, guess which one moved?

Secondly, look around you.  Who is influencing your decisions?  Are you working with those that build you up or tear you down?  Are you hanging with those that help keep your feet on the rock or are just like the sand described above that shifts with the wind and the waves life brings?  1 Corinthians 15:33 says it bluntly:  "Do not be misled:  Bad company corrupts good character."  Proverbs 22:24-25 states "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared."  Back in my Youth Ministry days, I always had great results illustrating this.  I would stand on the stage and get the smallest teenager in the crowd to come stand on the floor below while I was up on a stage, usually about two feet higher.  I would ask the small teenager if they thought they could defeat me when I towered over them in size.  Then, I would stand on the edge of the stage with my feet hanging off and ask them to try to pull me off the stage.  No matter how hard I tried to keep my balance, even the smallest teenager could pull me off the stage.  It is much easier to be pulled down that to pull someone else up!  If you are in a situation where you have been gutted, will you be pulled down?  Will you  find good counsel from those around you?  

Thirdly, look within.  Where does your hope lie?  What is the basis of your hope?  The Prophet Isaiah stated in Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on the wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  The writer of Hebrews talks about this hope as "an anchor for the soul, (that is) firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:19; ref. v. 11-20).  Hope does not give in nor does it give up.  1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us that when all is said and done, faith, hope and love remain.  This same powerful passage reminds us that the greatest of this is love.  Incidentally, love is the basis for our hope.  John 3:16 reminds us that God so loved that He gave. God Himself was gutted through the gift He gave.  The darkest time that has ever been written about in history was when Christ died on that cross (see Matthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49).  Gutted.  Thanks be to God that the story does not end there.  The tragedy of the cross was triumphed in the resurrection.  The darkness turned into day.  As a result, when you are gutted, you can also see your tragedy turn into triumph and your darkness can turn into day, but only if you place your hope in the resurrected Christ and the assurance His word brings.  The Bible is full of promises on which we can build this foundation of hope.  For example, Isaiah 41:10 states, "So do not fear, for I am with you: do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Romans 8:31-39 would also be a great reminder which you and I can build upon.  Other verses to build upon will be Colossians 1:13-14; Psalm 40:1-3; Psalm 46:1; and Psalm 56:3-4 just to name a few.  

Have you been gutted?  Most likely you have been.  Each one of the descriptions at the beginning of this article happened all within one week all within one community.  Was it bad karma? Was it bad luck?  Was it life?  Choose what you want it to be, but when it happens to you, you do not have to give up.  There is hope.  There is truth. 

 "And we know that is all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).