This Is Where True Leadership Begins

It seems that everyone wants to be famous these days. Their internal longing is to be known by everyone and they want to do nothing to get there. It really is the new "American Dream." People feel a need to be significant and also have a need to find their identity in something. The issue with this is that fame is the ultimate goal. That's it. With small goals like this, there are dead ends and no happiness when you reach these types of ambitions. Goals like starting a family, being there for your spouse when they need you, raising God-loving children, chasing God-promoting dreams, and pouring into the lives of those around us is the intention God has in mind for each and every one of us.

As you read God's Word, you don't really see good things being said about people following their own agenda. Throughout the Bible, people are blessed as they listen to God and follow His voice. Life is just easier this way when we stop and take the time to be quiet and listen. How many times have you struggled to do things in your own power and ended up failing miserably? It starts with not making the time that you spend with God important. Once that happens, the slope is a slippery one. At least, these are the consequences I have seen in my own life.

I have been there before. I have over-committed in the past by being too involved in church and spending way too much time at work and holding other things close that I thought were important. I found that busyness was my enemy, and time was my biggest asset. So, I filled my time with the things that I saw as the most important things in life.

The things that get done are the priorities that you put first in your day.

So, I pursued my own dreams instead of finding it important to communicate about what was happening in my life, and I felt alone. As an introvert, I held in everything. Communicating became unimportant or unnecessary to me. I was too distracted to focus on the really important things in life. It is strange how that happens. I was willing to let the most important things in life suffer in order to do things that brought temporary satisfaction.

You see, I found out that...

Goals without involving God is selfish ambition.

Money and success are tempting things that can never quite be reached. If not careful, "more" is the only amount that is sought after and is never quite attainable. I thought it was easier to do everything on my own, and it was more time-efficient to not consult God on anything. I needed answers fast. I had tons of plans on my own, but I didn't take the time to listen to the direction He was trying to give. My compass was me, and I didn't have a clue in what direction I was heading. These lessons weren't the only things I learned through this season of life, either.

Here are three other key points that I have learned along the way:

1. Success is not yours to take credit.

God, your spouse, and other people have helped you get to where you are today. Do not ever mistake that. Yes, life is a lesson, so take the time to stop and learn from every teachable moment that you encounter. I can guarantee that you have run into a few of these moments throughout your life. You have either gotten there through mistakes that you have made, or you didn't have to learn the hard way and listened to the mentors that you placed in your own life. I hope you have learned mostly through mentors, but maybe not. Whatever the case may be, make sure to take notes.

Yes, God gives you passions for a reason, but remember that God deserves the glory more than you do.

2. Priorities matter more than you realize.

When your priorities are out of line, God isn't honored and you are left feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, trying to figure life out on your own. Instead of letting this happen, keep God first in your life. When this happens, everything else falls into place. Find your calling through God and in the end, by what God uses you to accomplish, your legacy is constructed.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

3. Relying on God's power instead of our own produces results that are profoundly better in the end.

Selfish desires are the natural tendencies when thought is not given to living a purposeful life. It is a daily battle that we need to discipline ourselves to focus on. If we don't, our human nature will take over in every situation that we allow it. This is why we need to be intentional about our lives. The only way to guard ourselves from these moments of selfishness is learning to give all of our worries to God. He actually wants us to do this. God becomes bigger in your life when you hand your cares over to Him, because you become a smaller part of the equation and He is magnified.

Learn to let God take control. Again, life is just easier that way.

Before I really learned these truths, I would say that I knew all of these points, but I hadn't taken them to heart. Maybe you have been through these learning moments in life, too. Maybe you have been right where I was; longing for an answer in life, and you came to the realization that you need God to move in all of the mess. Or, maybe you are still at the beginning. Maybe you are still heading down the path that you created all on your own and are wondering where God fits into all of it.

Wherever you are in your journey, when you begin to realize how much God cares for you, the opinions of the people you are trying to impress don't matter as much. This happens when you allow God to become bigger in your life and trust that He is for you. Think about it. When people are on your side, the fact that they are rooting for you gives you a boost of confidence in yourself. Trust in God to move in your own life and use your God-given gifts in confidence to change the lives of those around you.

He is the one who gives you calling and identity.
Your priorities matter.
Find hope in a God that knows you by name, not yourself.
Pour into the lives of others.

This is where true leadership begins.