… it is as though the stresses of my life have converged to produce one whopper of a dry spell on this here blog. I blame many things, yet I am ultimately the one on whom the responsibility falls. A lot of the silence has to do with the my current job ambiguity – as I am transitioning into another role at LifeChurch.tv, that as of today has little clarity (although it comes with my own office – wOOt). This transition has had a big impact on my thought life as I want to blog about how it played out, but realize that it would not be beneficial to me or anyone else… I have known about the transition for a month and a half, but yet without clarity as to where I am to go and what I am to do… did I mention I have control issues and I hate ambiguity?
Filtering my raw thoughts on the situation, the most I can say right now is that – It has been handled without much tact. Below are my thoughts from a BIG PICTURE perspective:
It is safe to say that no business is perfect, and neither is the church… as imperfect people run the show. In truth we want (in our idealism) to be treated as a coveted assets but in reality are dealt with as commodities. Napoleon Bonaparte was right when he said, “We are either kings or pawns of men.” And there are few kings in this world.
Napoleon’s statement challenges me in two ways… First, it inspires me to treat others as kings, showing them respect and serving them as Christ once served us. Secondly, it provokes me to be the king of my area, of my talents, gifts and strengths. Now, I hope you see the dichotomy in all of this… I want to serve others, while at the same time not be treated as a servant. I want to treat others as kings, yet I detest being a pawn – moved around as depreciating asset, a sunk cost, a front line soldier or as an expendable commodity.
Like it or not the majority of us are pawns, but that does not mean we should treat each other as such. More often then not when one is promoted to a higher position on the corporate ladder (say to the role of knight or rook), the first inclination is to treat subordinates as… subordinates. Rather one should take a step back from oneself and treat those around them as equals and as valuable assets. Utilizing their strengths, not for personal profit, but for the benefit of the team. In doing this you emulate the behavior of a servant leader, lifting up those below and vaulting them above us! In this scenario we move from the hierarchy of Napoleon to the upside down kingdom of Christ.
