Thoughts on John Maxwell, “Developing the Leaders Around You”
I had a dream last night that I was driving along and it was pretty safe until I hit this black hole that I dropped through and was free falling. I knew what this was about. It is about my raising up leaders. I feel pretty secure and comfortable in my position and love to develop my staff. What creates a problem for me is this black hole of raising up leaders to share the responsibility and walk along side of me. It makes me feel as if I am free falling with no place to land.
John Maxwelll noted that there is two ways to look at the others around me. In the first view, I look at them through eyes of competitiveness. This is where I see others as the enemy or competition. With this view, I concentrate on myself and am suspicious of others. I must win against others and be better than them.
In the second view, I look at others through eyes of cooperation. I see others as friends. I concentrate on others and are supportive of them. I look at winning as a team effort rather than my individual effort. Others are on my team and walk along side of me.
In the seminar I went to yesterday, one of the speakers told a story yesterday about her son playing competitive chess with another boy at six years old. They were to press the timer when they were done making their move. If they didn’t, their time kept running. The boy her son was playing against forgot to hit is timer. Her son could have won by not saying anything. Instead, he thought about it and then told the boy and went on to lose the tournament against him. When asked about it, he said that winning by default is not a win. He realized that real winning was not getting one up but in how he treated others. What an amazing thing to learn at such a young age!
I long to be someone who learns to win by what I invest in others. When I am not living this way, it is because I am not trusting God. I seem to fairly easily trust him with my life but not with my job. I am thinking that if I raise up leaders around me that work with my boss then I am making my life more difficult for myself and loosing greater control.
The truth is that if I am still measuring out my offerings to God, I don’t see his worth. He is worthy of all I have to give. I long to be free to give Him this and to glorify Him through the way I do my work. I long to step out on the waters and trust Him without shrinking back.
“Such a tiny offering, compared to Calvary, never the less, we lay it at your feet” sings in the background. Ironically, I had significantly less struggle laying my life at His feet. When I didn’t know how the biopsy was going to turn out, I willingly laid my life at His feet. Why should it be so much harder to lay my job at His feet? I have too tight of a grip on my job.
Jeremiah says in 17:7, “Blessed is the man who trust in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of draught, for it does not cease to bear fruit!”
He is worthy! He has given me everything. “I am willing to be anything you want from me, because you have given new life to me” sings in the background. I want to live for Jesus. I am afraid but I say yes! I say that I am willing to be anything you want from me.
Lord, I need your help and your empowerment. Please stretch out your hand to me and draw me out of the boat with you. I long to give you everything. You are worthy of all I have. “Come and worship” sings in the background.
“I know that God is able, I know that He still reigns, I know that love has found a way” sings in the background. God is able to sustain me in this and He has made a way. I do not need to do this on my own. He will strengthen and empower me. He will show me the way to go.
Lord, May my roots go down deep into the soil of your marvelous love that I may be filled with the fullness of life and power that only comes from you.[1]
“The more I seek you, the more I find you” now sings in the background. The truth is that as I willingly lay down my life and follow Christ, building up other leaders, I will find Christ. I will begin to look more like Him and I will begin to see Him more clearly. The truth is that He is dangerous to follow. He does not have any place to lay His head. I am not going to be made comfortable and have my pillow fluffed. Being with Him where He is involves uncomfortably and risk. One must leave everything to follow Him – even ones security. One must begin to live in those uncomfortable places. But the reward of following Him and taking these risks is that one will truly live life and will be with Him where He is. “I want to drink from the cup in your hand,” Jesus.
[1] Myers, Warren and Ruth, Experiencing God's Presence: Pursuing God with Your Whole Heart, Mind, and Soul, NavPress, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2005.
John Maxwelll noted that there is two ways to look at the others around me. In the first view, I look at them through eyes of competitiveness. This is where I see others as the enemy or competition. With this view, I concentrate on myself and am suspicious of others. I must win against others and be better than them.
In the second view, I look at others through eyes of cooperation. I see others as friends. I concentrate on others and are supportive of them. I look at winning as a team effort rather than my individual effort. Others are on my team and walk along side of me.
In the seminar I went to yesterday, one of the speakers told a story yesterday about her son playing competitive chess with another boy at six years old. They were to press the timer when they were done making their move. If they didn’t, their time kept running. The boy her son was playing against forgot to hit is timer. Her son could have won by not saying anything. Instead, he thought about it and then told the boy and went on to lose the tournament against him. When asked about it, he said that winning by default is not a win. He realized that real winning was not getting one up but in how he treated others. What an amazing thing to learn at such a young age!
I long to be someone who learns to win by what I invest in others. When I am not living this way, it is because I am not trusting God. I seem to fairly easily trust him with my life but not with my job. I am thinking that if I raise up leaders around me that work with my boss then I am making my life more difficult for myself and loosing greater control.
The truth is that if I am still measuring out my offerings to God, I don’t see his worth. He is worthy of all I have to give. I long to be free to give Him this and to glorify Him through the way I do my work. I long to step out on the waters and trust Him without shrinking back.
“Such a tiny offering, compared to Calvary, never the less, we lay it at your feet” sings in the background. Ironically, I had significantly less struggle laying my life at His feet. When I didn’t know how the biopsy was going to turn out, I willingly laid my life at His feet. Why should it be so much harder to lay my job at His feet? I have too tight of a grip on my job.
Jeremiah says in 17:7, “Blessed is the man who trust in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green and is not anxious in the year of draught, for it does not cease to bear fruit!”
He is worthy! He has given me everything. “I am willing to be anything you want from me, because you have given new life to me” sings in the background. I want to live for Jesus. I am afraid but I say yes! I say that I am willing to be anything you want from me.
Lord, I need your help and your empowerment. Please stretch out your hand to me and draw me out of the boat with you. I long to give you everything. You are worthy of all I have. “Come and worship” sings in the background.
“I know that God is able, I know that He still reigns, I know that love has found a way” sings in the background. God is able to sustain me in this and He has made a way. I do not need to do this on my own. He will strengthen and empower me. He will show me the way to go.
Lord, May my roots go down deep into the soil of your marvelous love that I may be filled with the fullness of life and power that only comes from you.[1]
“The more I seek you, the more I find you” now sings in the background. The truth is that as I willingly lay down my life and follow Christ, building up other leaders, I will find Christ. I will begin to look more like Him and I will begin to see Him more clearly. The truth is that He is dangerous to follow. He does not have any place to lay His head. I am not going to be made comfortable and have my pillow fluffed. Being with Him where He is involves uncomfortably and risk. One must leave everything to follow Him – even ones security. One must begin to live in those uncomfortable places. But the reward of following Him and taking these risks is that one will truly live life and will be with Him where He is. “I want to drink from the cup in your hand,” Jesus.
[1] Myers, Warren and Ruth, Experiencing God's Presence: Pursuing God with Your Whole Heart, Mind, and Soul, NavPress, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2005.
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