Monday, August 01, 2005

If _X_ belonged to me..

A question was posed to me last night.

"If _X_ belonged to you, what would you do with it?"

Frankly, it was a question I didn't really know how to answer. Substitute the character 'X' with just about anything - job, class of students, ministry, church, house, children etc. I realised that for all these things, I've simply been content to follow a status quo set by those in authority over me. Give me the helm and the leadership, and I'd probably be stuck big-time.

Then, like serendipity, I came across a quote from Kahlil Gibran:
"It is well to give when asked but it is better to give unasked, through understanding."

Isn't that what ownership and leadership is all about? Not to passively wait to be tasked, but through an understanding of the heart of the One who has placed that authority in your hands, actively seek out ways to give and improve more and more. That's why it's such a stretch to step up to a new level of leadership, always; because moving on to a new level demands, firstly, an even greater recognition of the fact that we are simply stewards of all that is His. And secondly, we need to know Him all the better in order to move our greater power and responsibility for the greater good. In the words of 85, acquire a sort of 'holy common sense' that can only be had by knowing the heart of God. And thirdly, we can no longer be passive, but must actively seek and strive for new initiatives to improve upon what we've been given, for a leader is way beyond a maintainance officer. Ooh, sounds tough! But He has placed in us the ability, creativity and all the potential we need to ex-CEL in all that we do. Amen!

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