De-Adulting

“Adulting is hard.” I heard that phrase from an almost-20-year-old. In case you’re as uninformed as I was, Urban Dictionary defines “adulting” as “to do grown up things and hold responsibilities, such as 9-5 job …” Now I’m fully in favor of young adults learning to be responsible. But I also want to make the case that a certain amount of “de-adulting” may be helpful for many leaders. You see, in the process of becoming mature adults, we inevitably encounter setbacks. Those disappointments often cause us to develop a protective shell of skepticism. They can quench our boldness and our enthusiasm. And when this happens, an important leadership dynamic can be lost. Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to ones who are like children (Matthew 19:14). He instructed his followers to be more like children (Matthew 18:2). What does this mean for Christian leaders? I don’t think that it means to ignore the wisdom that we have gained through experience. But I wonder if churches and ministries would be better served if leaders made several de-adulting shifts:

• From anxious fear about the future to enthusiastic anticipation.
• From tight-fisted control to open-handed trust.
• From dealing with personnel problems not as a grim reaper but as an optimistic coach.

In my next several blogs, I will explore these shifts and the reasons that I believe that they are both practical and biblical. Making these changes isn’t easy, but if you want to grow and mature in your leadership, you may need to rediscover some child-like attitudes. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>