Give it up!

Have you ever been around someone who is stressed ALL the time and found yourself becoming stressed or uptight when you’re around them? Or have you been around someone who is full of joy and found yourself feeling really happy and joyful? That’s because we all give off what we carry, whether it’s stress, frustrations, joy or peace. Kris Vallotton says, “You’ll always create the environment within you around you.” Whaaaaat?  Yeah, take that in for a minute. Whatever we are carrying around inside of us, whatever we’re allowing our minds to think about, whatever we’re holding in hearts will be released in the environment around us and everywhere we go.

We can have a huge impact on the environment around us (for better or worse) whether it’s at work, at home, at the grocery store, etc.  YOU LEAK! So what are you leaking right now? Are you leaking more stress and anxiety into a stressful situation or are you leaking love and peace? Are you leaking negativity into an already dark place or are you leaking hope and joy? Don’t let your junk leak on everyone else. Let Holy Spirit bring your junk to the surface and then leave it at the foot of the Cross.  There’s an alternative gift that Holy Spirit wants to give you for every negative thing you lay down to Him (ie. If you leave stress, you pick up the gift of peace). So give it up! Give up your junk and take a better gift! Gifts are always good…AND they’re free!

Someone told me today that I have a lot of tolerance; that’s because I’ve walked it out. I carry peace because I have chosen peace over stress when stressful situations come up. I’ve chosen peace when everything around me is turmoil. And in the place I’m at right now, I’m gaining even more tolerance because I’m choosing peace and patience in each situation that threatens my peace and patience.  I'm not saying I've "arrived," but I'm definitely moving forward in the process. Whatever difficult situation you’re facing, choose the opposite. Do it daily. Do it in every situation. Choose hope; choose love; choose joy; chose honor; choose peace. It starts with a choice. If you want to release it into the environment around you, you have to walk it out to get it within you first, and I guarantee it’ll be better than anything you give up!

HE is the goal

I think sometimes we get in the routine of home, work, school, church, etc. and at some point we think, “What the heck am I working towards?” “What is my goal here?” “What’s the point?” We can get dragged down in the every day, natural stuff that is our lives and we miss the ultimate goal of why we do what we do.

As a worship leader I can come in with a great band and an awesome set list and have an explosive time of worship, but if God isn't the goal, if His presence isn’t the goal, I’ve missed it totally. As a teacher I can get caught up in the routine of the class schedule, dealing with the “difficult” kid, and just try to make it through another day/week/month, but if God isn’t the goal in my classroom and in the experience I bring to it, then I’ve missed the goal.

Working in a classroom this week has shown me that a lot of times (in any job really) our mindset is often to survive and get through the week. “It’ll be worth it when the paycheck comes.” Right? When the truth is, if our goal and the way we think doesn’t change, it will never really be worth the paycheck because we will simply be surviving instead of thriving like we were created to do.

My personal goal this week is to do a little less complaining, a little more encouraging, and see what happens when I invite God’s presence into every situation. What would my week look like if HE was the goal? Everything we do is an opportunity to partner with the Holy Spirit and invite the presence of God into our lives. How would that change the way we look at housework, going to church, or working the same nine to five job until retirement?

One of my favorite verses, Romans 11:36 says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” It is all about Him. Jenn Johnson said, “We are called to cast a vision of who God is and who we are in Him.” What would our week look like if we actually did this?

He is always the goal!

It is NOT about you...or me

I actually typed this blog a couple days ago and the funny thing is that I’ve struggled more with all of this in the last two days than I did before I typed it…interesting how that works out.  Gotta walk it out if I want to give it out!

One thing Jenn Johnson said during a class on leading worship was that “it is not about you!” As a worship leader (or any type of leader) it is NOT ABOUT YOU. It's about who you're leading and who/what you're leading them to. As parents do we lead our kids towards empowerment, giving them choices and opportunities to clean up their messes or do we lead them towards powerlessness where they feel they have no choice or power to change their lives? As business leaders, do we lead our co-workers in honor and excellence or half-heartedness and a mentality that says, “I'm only here for a paycheck?” As worship leaders, are we leading the church into an encounter with the One who it's all about, or are we simply leading people in a great musical chorus with all the bells and whistles?

I've realized to take on the roles God has set before me that my focus cannot be ME. Although I need to be the best “me” I can be and take care of myself in order to lead well, I have to remember that everything is first and foremost about leading others into an encounter with God and His Kingdom, which obviously looks different from the church to the workplace, but it's still possible. Next, it's about loving the people I'm leading. If I don't love people, then I'm not going to value them enough to lead them anywhere.

When my focus changes to myself, I've noticed I tend to get anxious and feel that I don't have what it takes to do the tasks at hand. I'm sure many of you know that anxiety and insecurity aren't really the best examples to lead with. However, when I change my focus and turn my attention towards Daddy God and the people that He loves, my whole attitude changes. I realize my “love for God and people will supersede my gift/talent/abilities, even on bad days” (Martin Smith) and also that the omni-presence of God is an opportunity to invite Him into any and every situation that comes up while I'm leading. It's an opportunity to show others His character and nature by showing them His Kingdom values in the way I act, respond, speak, etc. When the focus is on ourselves we can feel insecure really quick, but when it's on the One who is perfect and all-powerful, we can feel empowered for the task at hand. It really just takes all the pressure off; our thinking shifts from “I have to perform in order to lead well” to “I really just need to love God and love people well.”

Live well, love well, lead well.