Why we have to stop looking to heroes and perfect situations
Today is the big day. Apple is going to drop on the world the new iPhone and possibly the iWatch (TBD). As a self-proclaimed techie I get really excited for Apple releases, I've stood in line multiple times on release days for new Apple products. I was the 16th person in Kansas City to get an iPad 2. I'm not sure if that makes me look awesome or as if I'm a trust fund baby with no daily responsibilities...you don't have comment.
I've been thinking recently about the things I look to to make life better. All of us have our natural bent about the things we think will make life more fulfilling. For you it might be a relationship, or a job, or a family, or all of these. For others it can be a status, or a title, or a weight...only you can fill in your blank. Not one of these things is a bad thing or the wrong thing to aspire for but they can be crippling to our wholeness.
The longer we allow ourselves to think something external will make life better the longer life will feel like it's not everything it could be. The growth I most need is internal because internal growth is eternal. It's a different kind of investment of my time and energy because it isn't dependent on situation yet it shapes how I perceive every situation. Here is what I mean:
Innovation is only as good as my willingness to change.
My relationships are only as good as my personal wholeness and self worth.
My financial status is only as good as my ability to manage my personal finances.
My spiritual life is only as good as my discipline to a daily devotional.
As long as I look to something else or a situation to make life better I am seeking something that will never live up to my expectations. Heroes always disappoint and situations often pass.
Am I telling you to pull yourself up by the boot straps and "you do you" is the answer to all of life's problems. Not at all. I believe in the God who made us, the One who came to us, the One who took on our brokeness, and the One who defeats death. And for those who love him He gave The Spirit of Truth that lives in us (John 14:17). We are better off seeking how God will change us from the inside than change our situations. We can love a situation or a beloved hero more than we can love him. And all too often we craft the situation or the hero that eventually lets us down and we end up questioning the goodness of God. It's not that uncommon for God to let us have the things we think will fulfill us in order to discover how much they can disappoint us. The rest of the world refers to this as "natural consequences."
The world needs leaders who celebrate and practice wholeness. So we have to lead at looking within and placing ourselves daily on the right foundation. Instead of being reactive we can be reflective. Instead of striving we can be calming. Instead of being demanding we can be vulnerable. Let's be leaders who stop looking for heroes and perfect situations and instead become the people God intends for us to be.