"I've Got This"

Mike October 29, 2019 Great and Godly Leadership 0 Comments

I was recently in the Florida panhandle to lead a learning cohort for senior pastors. Our overnight meeting was at a beach hotel, so I got up a little before sunrise for a walk on the beach. The horizon gradually grew brighter and more colorful, and then the first part of that glowing orange ball came into view. I don’t think that I will ever get tired of watching a beautiful sunrise or sunset. 

On that particular morning, the sunrise was also an important spiritual experience for me. As I turned to walk back toward my hotel, God’s Spirit whispered to my soul, “I’ve got this. I took care of the sunrise you just saw, and I’ll take care of all the burdens that you’re carrying … if you’ll give them to me.”

It was a much needed reminder for me. I’m well aware of my tendencies toward control and perfectionism. I can easily become the poster child for the old saying, “If you want a job done right, do it yourself.” The problem is that I can’t do it all myself. And I especially can’t control the ultimate outcomes of my work as a coach and consultant, or as a parent.

This blog has mostly been confessional, but I know that it’s also applicable for many of the leaders that I work with. You want your church or ministry to thrive and to live into its full potential. But that genuine, God-honoring desire can easily cause you to cross the line from being a faithful steward of the leadership gifts that God has given you to feeling like everything depends on you. You find yourself saying “I’ve got this” more often than you should.

I started writing this blog in the Denver airport, waiting to see if I could get a standby spot on an early flight to be home for a family event. There was absolutely nothing I could do to clear the standby list – I just had to sit and wait. I’m finishing this blog sitting on the last seat that was available on that flight, looking at the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, and hearing God say again, “I’ve got this.”

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