Some servants of Jesus just seem to be lucky. They
tell amazing stories of encounters with people who are transformed by
Christ. They lead or serve in flourishing ministries with real impact,
not just window dressing.
We all want that kind of 'luck' (of course it's all for the Lord).
However our enthusiasm for getting things done for
Christ has pushed us into spiritually un-natural space. Current
Christian culture presses us towards ministry success (whatever that
is). Just listen to and read the lingo used in our books, seminars and
sermons: Plan - Strategize - Vision - Dream - Execute - Seven Steps To... - Performance Reviews -
etc. At times you'd think it was all about us and our effort. We have
so many fixed plans in place, its a wonder God gets anything done
through us.
We speak the words: "Spirit Led". We act the words: "It's up to us".
A test to measure the dependency we have on our
planning & performance is the reaction we have when the trajectory
of ministry & service go contrary to our plans or anticipated
outcomes, or the pathway of service we envisioned for ourselves doesn't
pan out. At that point many of us argue with God or question our ability
to hear Him. Nothing wrong with that. God can take our anger and
arguing and questioning. But it does reveal that we likely owned a bit
too much of that plan in the first place. Who is the servant here and
who is the Master? Here are some other questions to consider as a way
to assess how open we are to listening to the leadings of the Master
through His Spirit:
- when was the last time you followed a prompting and acted in the moment?
- when have you given up on a plan that once seemed right, but now the Spirit says "let it go"?
- when have you not acted because there was no direction from the Spirit?
- how often have you stepped away from activity and into the action of rest & reflection (or did that cost too much time & lost productivity?)
I recently heard CBC Radio quote a Swahili proverb: “I am not lucky. I am just always on the move.”
My research is proving vain to verify this is actually a Swahili
proverb. But whether it is their actual proverb or not, I like it!! In
fact I just may appropriate it as my proverb if this isn't really a
Swahili one!
There is spiritual wisdom here. We don’t just fall into significance or land
on ministry impact by accident, luck or hard strategic work. It
happens because we are "always on the move" with the Spirit. By
practicing an active lifestyle of regular pausing to listen to the
Spirit, & acting when we hear from Him, ONLY THEN can we find
ourselves "lucky" to be in the flow of what He is accomplishing in this
world.
Those who have history with me know I have been a
restless dreamer, planner, strategic thinker and facilitator of dreams.
My current role as Executive Director of Encompass Partnerships is the result of years of planning and dreaming. In the past 15 years I
have facilitated 30+ planning sessions for teams and organizations around the world. I
am proud of that hard, strategic work. Our Creator endorses and
supports good planning and thinking ahead. But as my world has been
turned upside down these past few years and dreams & plans were
swept up in a tsunami of crises, the Lord taught me a dance with the
Spirit I never really entered into before.
And its hard to explain to you. No seven-step process. Its training-by-life.
What I know is this. As I choose to listen for and
to the Spirit, as I choose to wait for His signals and promptings and
as I act on His directions, not only does planning itself change, but so also does execution.
You see, ultimately it is His plan. Not only is He involved in the
plan-making, but by continual listening to Him during the execution we
at times encounter re-directions of plans. Doesn't scripture say
something about being astounded because something is happening in our
lifetime that we won't believe, even if it were described down to the
smallest detail? (Habakkuk 1:5). Our plans can't predict or shape a future that is only in the hands of God. Only His hands shape that future, not our plans.
Encompass works with individuals, agencies and
churches who are set on serving the margins of our society. I speak to
them, but also to any of you who have a vision or plan. Has the Spirit
stirred something up in you to take the gospel to the edges of our
society? Then get into the practice of always being on the move with
the Spirit. Run counter to even your own Christian culture and learn to
stop, wait, listen & then respond. You will eventually be & do what He intended.
Some may call you lucky or strategic or even visionary.
The Spirit will call you faithful.
