When The Hammer Falls

What follows are not originally my words.  I came across this 'confession' in 2010 while doing research on the issue of doubt.  The source is unknown to me, but I give credit to this person, whoever he/she is. At the time I was living in Kuwait. A family crisis was emerging.  I was beginning to doubt a lot of things about my own identity as a leader, a father, a follower of Jesus.  The situation only got darker when I repatriated to Canada.  I lived on the edge of a fight or flight response to  - everything - for years.  What this person had to say on that website resonates more with me now than it did when I was on the front edge of my crisis of doubt. 

Things got really dark before I could see there was light there all the time.

I share it because the realization that doubt is a part of true faith has transformed my relationship with God and I hope, my leadership. It has made me more honest with Him to the point that I feel more than ever that I have a true relationship with my Creator where everything can be on the table and we will still love each other. So, whoever you are out there who first authored this– thank you for giving expression to my heart and thoughts. Your story is my story and I know that as long as other Christian leaders are honest out there, that this is their story too…

"Ping. The hammer fell and preacher came tumbling after. It's funny, when your faith finally caves, it goes all at once. You realize you were just a shell held together with hackneyed rituals and desperate hopes. You are not strong. You do not have answers....St John of the Cross calls it 'the dark night of the soul'...It broke my heart. I grieved joint and marrow. My reptilian brain cried. I was sad all the way to the bottom.

I decided not to give up without a fight. I can be a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. I sought answers. I read the good stuff and talked with the good people. I learned some things. I found my way. 

Turns out Christianity is an eastern religion. The earliest Christians were Hebrews. Semites. People of the east. They did not know how to separate mind from body. They were holistic before holistic was cool. In our world we have separated mind from body to our great loss. Here a man may betray his wife and neglect his children, but he says he loves them 'down inside'. Bullshit. There is no 'down inside'. Love is something you do, not something you feel. Likewise, we think having faith means being convinced God exists in the same way we are convinced a chair exists. People who cannot be completely convinced of God's existence think faith is impossible for them. Not so. People who doubt can have great faith because FAITH IS SOMETHING YOU DO, NOT SOMETHING YOU THINK. In fact, the greater your doubt the more heroic your faith.

I learned that it doesn't matter in the least that I be convinced of God's existence. Whether or not God exists is none of my business, really. What do I know of existence? I don't even know how the DVD works. What DOES matter is whether or not I am faithful. I think faithful is a hell of a good word. It still has some of its original shine. It still calls us to action. Once I stumbled upon this very old truth, I prayed the most honest prayer of my life:

'God, I don't have great faith, but I can be faithful. My belief in you may be seasonal, but my faithfulness will not. I will follow in the way of Christ. I will act as though my life and the lives of others matter. I will love. I have no greater gift to offer than my life. Take it.' "

Harv

Leaders: You Gotta Serve Somebody

Leaders are great at words.  Some of the most common – and disingenuous – are words declaring the identity of the people they serve.

In my country of Canada, this has come to a head as political leadership’s decisions have, with more hypocrisy than usual, revealed who they truly serve. The typical rhetoric of leadership will eloquently identify and woo a constituent community to be served. However at some point down the road it’s the leaders’ practice, policy & behavior that become the actual ‘speech’ that reveals the priority constituency.

Politicians will state: “Once elected, we serve all people”. However, examine their policy decisions, budget allocations and patronage appointments and it’s clear that they mostly serve the survival of their party into the next election. 

Corporate leaders will say:  “We serve the client”.  Ask most clients and you will discover the truth is that they are merely the ‘target market’.  The real client is the investor.

Faith leaders state emphatically that: “We serve God and His mission to this world”.  However, decisions, budgets and programs reveal it’s the preservation of the institution and the ongoing security of the donor base/congregation that is the focus of their servant-hood. 

Leaders - STOP DECLARING whom you serve as though that is enough to preserve your reputation or elicit loyalty.  Instead, REVEAL who you serve through your decisions and actions.

Bob Dylan sang a truth that although you have choices of who to align with in this life, at some point “You’re gonna have to serve somebody”.  Centuries before that, Jesus Christ affirmed you can only follow one master and it is dangerous to try serve two.  The reason? Because the result is you will actually hold contempt for the one while serving the other. Contempt? Yes. That’s what happens when you do not lead consistent with your public declarations.  Your decisions, attitudes and actions will always lean toward your REAL master.  Then the neglected constituency experiences at minimum a benign neglect and at worst, a blatant contempt.  

The truth is, you already serve only one master.  Have you figured out who or what that is?