Matt's Muzings
Success
I was watching this year's winter Olympics and became interested in the figure skating competition. It usually does not rate high on my list of Olympic sports but as I watched parts of it, I became aware of how the battle on the ice was similar to the battle we face as an organization.
Michelle Kwan was an experienced professional. She knew the moves and had trained long and hard. There was a calculated aspect of her performance that had been practiced to perfection. She was among the best and had won everything but a gold medal. She was in first place after the compulsories.
As an organization, we are like Michelle in many ways. Some of us have been doing training, evangelism and leading for many years. We are one of the largest missions in the world. We know what is expected and can calculate the performance needed to get things done.
Along came Sarah Hughes. She was 16 years old and had won a world championship but was considered young and a little inexperienced. She was passionate and eager but ended up in 4th place after the first day.
There are young people in our midst that don't have as much experience but are passionate and want to give it their best in complete obedience and abandonment of themselves to God.
This competition left me with some interesting insights and even made notes of it on my computer. I didn't realize I would find elements of this challenge in my own life. Let me explain.
Last week I felt provoked that I was to lead this May Discipleship Training School (DTS). I felt I was to "do" then teach others. The leadership team sought the Lord and felt like it was right. It is interesting to capture the thoughts and feelings that are a part of this process. There are some who imply that since it has been ten years since I led a school that I don't really know what I am talking about. There is a part of me that rises and wants to prove that I can do it and do it well.
I Know How to do This.
My thoughts continue, I have run schools in Saipan , Hong Kong and Salem and was over many more schools in Singapore . I know how to run a school. However I am aware that I now have a Ph. D. and am supposed to know how to do it. What if I fail? Is my reputation on the line?
Back to the Olympics. It seems Michelle desperately wanted the gold medal and the pressure must have been tremendous. It was almost as if she needed the gold medal in order validate herself.
As I look inside of me I am surprised to find that I can identify with Michelle Kwan. I want to run the best schools. I have lots of experience and I know how to run a school. I can do this. I have succeeded in the past, I will succeed now. I will show them. I need to get this right.
In The End, Success is Not About Me, it is About God's Presence With Me.
Over the weekend I was spending time with God. He was so gracious to help me understand what was going on. I was reading in Exodus where Moses declares that the Presence of God is the only thing that separates us from anyone else. I was struck with a thought for the school. I have made it all about me. I am trusting my experiences and my past successes and I am thinking I have to do this.
That is a set up for failure. Past successes are not the key to future success. In fact success can cause more problems than failing in a changing world. When I am only concerned with winning I get cold and calculated and lose my passion.
Who won the gold? Sarah Hughes. She put it all on the line because in a sense it wasn't about her, the media's focus was on those in first and second place.
How do you run a great school? How do you run a great organization? There is only one way. I can't make it about me. It is all about God and His presence. My value or worth is not linked to the school. God has already settled that for good in Jesus. I am called to be dependent on Him and seek His face. That and that alone is my only hope.
Conclusion
Our past successes or ‘education' can cause problems if we trust them and think they are all we need to succeed in a changing world. Each organization is different. Each school is different. Each business is different. Each opportunity is different and in the end it is not about us. It is about being willing to learn and allowing God's presence to show up and for us to get out of the way.