He posed a question at the start that both crushed and quenched my soul in one fell swoop.
...Is Jesus enough?
This stopped me in my tracks. Deer in the headlights stopped. Why? Because at the same time I was interrupted by this bombshell of a question, I was also trying to create a color coded list of tasks I needed to accomplish in the next 24 hours, eat my lunch, ponder the next steps of a project at work and listen to this podcast. It occurred to me that I am busy cluttering my life with getting ahead, and they're good things, but they aren't God things.
Don't get me wrong. The blessings of Christ are to be treasured. I love my new job, I absolutely adore my friends, I have a home to call my own, I get to travel often. But these gifts shouldn't fulfill me. If these things aren't rooted in Christ, they will always feel temporal. And, let's be honest here. I'm human, so of course these things validate my feelings sometimes. That's why people always want the best thing, why we follow the next trending topic, why the approval of others seems to reassure us who we are. They're all good things. But, they're not necessarily God things. And when I seek approval outside of Jesus, it's almost as if to say..."I'mma let you finish God, but, [fill in the blank] is the greatest of all time." (I regret that I just made a Kanye West reference...I'm not keen on him, but I digress.) There isn't a person, place or experience outside of His domain that will ever satisfy the human heart the way that only Christ can. He is enough. Sometimes, we miss that because we're about the business of building up our own kingdoms instead of his.
I listened with singular focus for the duration of the interview and pulled out another gem that was so conveniently mic-dropped near the end.
"What does it look like to follow Jesus? [That answer] allows me to lead [as a servant] from the overflow of His life and ministry."
In my own life, I've decided it takes on a few tangible forms.
First. Knowing Jesus.
I know, I know. Seems basic, huh? But, I can't very well lead like Jesus if I don't first understand who He is. He is the I am, and he is our friend but, as I spend more time in the Scriptures this year, I'm peeling away layers of God I've never seen before. Reading through Genesis and Exodus, I've seen His hand in the background of so many stories that I always read differently before.
Second. Decompartmentalize.
When I lose conscious awareness of my nature to put things in a checkbox or on a Google calendar alert, I forget that the Spirit inside of me and the Lord of my life take up all of the available space, no matter what I do, who I'm with, or where I go. My life isn't meant to be experienced as work life, home life, Church on Sunday life, family life, etc. Those are all obligations, but they all weave into the same tapestry of my life as a whole, where Jesus is ever-present.
Third. Old ways don't open new doors.
There was a time I was immersed in full-time ministry. It is the most challenging, humbling and beautiful thing I have ever been called to in my entire life. There are seasons to this day where my heart yearns for it. But, old ways won't open new doors. Regardless of the path the Lord would have me on or what that looks like, I have begun to shift my paradigm. Leadership is not equivocal to a seat at the table, or as Hamilton might say "being in the room where it happens." Leadership is simply loving Christ's church, i.e. his people. If I get that right, then whatever doors open are going to result in productive Kingdom work...because I'm not who I was.
Leadership begins with humility in following the example of Christ. Let your character be rewarded and allow it to precede your spiritual gifts. It's a lesson I'll be ever chasing, but as He becomes greater, I concede to become less. In this way, Jesus can take his rightful place in my life. And He is enough for me.
Footnote: Check out a song called "Presence, Power, Glory" by CitiPointe Live feat. Becky Lewis. It speaks to the throne of Jesus in our lives. And Becky Lewis' character precedes her phenomenal musical gift.
