Raising My Hands

It’s a familiar pose. The victorious athlete with his or her hands in the air. Or the fully committed worshipper with his or her hands in the air. The outward physical appearances may be similar, but the inward ones couldn’t be more different. Last week, late one night, I completed the written report for a major project. I felt great about finishing it, and felt even better about the end product. I found myself raising my arms in a quiet moment of personal celebration. And then I felt the gentle but unmistakable nudge of the Holy Spirit asking, “Is this your victory?” Every leader experiences victories and defeats, but you generally don’t stay in leadership for very long unless the wins outnumber the losses. It’s natural to celebrate in those moments of success. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do so. But as a Christ-following leader, we should remember that “every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). That certainly includes the leadership abilities that produced the victory. I’m thankful for the nudge that I received that night. And I’m even more thankful for the gifts that brought me to that point. There have been plenty of times that I’ve not sensed this kind of Spirit-led prompting, but I’m pretty sure that has more to do with how I’ve listened. At least in that moment, I kept my hands up and gave thanks to God for the victory. So what do you do in those moments of accomplishment, when the accolades are coming? It’s not wrong to put your hands in the air, as long as you do it in the right way.]]>