How long has it been since you have played the game Follow the Leader? Most people in this game find themselves somewhere in the middle. Not necessarily the leader and not the caboose. But everyone in the middle has a certain level of leadership.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a Facebook live video in the private group for Abundant Living Wellness Solutions. If you are not already a member, I would encourage you to check us out and become a part of this community to encourage one another in greater levels of abundant life spirit, soul and body.
The subject of the video was the words of Paul from the New Testament who said, "Follow me as I follow Christ." But today, I want to take that even a step further. I mentioned that if someone is following you than you are a leader in some capacity. You may not be a business leader or a church leader, but even a mom or an older sibling can be a leader. If someone is watching you and learning from you, than you are leading. A lot of us don't see ourselves as a leader because we just see ourselves as somewhere in the middle. Just as in the game Follow the Leader, really all of us are somewhere in the middle. Jesus is the ultimate leader and we are all just doing our best to follow His leadership. We also look to the lives of those who have gone before us to give us hope and encouragement.
So what does this have to do with the abundant life? I believe it is all about having a healthy flow in our lives. We are receiving and we are giving. None of us are to remain a stagnant pool of water unto ourselves. We all have something to learn, and we all have something to give.
I have heard it said this way. Everyone should have a Paul, a Barnabas and a Timothy in their lives. A Paul would be someone that I am learning and receiving from. A Barnabas is a friend. Someone that I am doing life with - an encourager who is at a similar place in life that I am. And a Timothy is someone whom I am taking the time to teach and pour into.
Without one of these relationships in my life, I can find myself stagnant in some ways. Relationships are so important in an abundant life. One of the tactics of the "thief" mentioned in John 10:10, is to steal relationships from us. He does this by causing us to become offended and ultimately isolating ourselves. The scenarios in our lives may be different, but the outcome is the same. Oftentimes if he can cause us to live in our hurt, we will self-protect and put up walls of defense to shut people out, not realizing that we are shutting out a huge part of the abundant life.
So who is pouring into you? This could be a member of your family or an older, wiser mentor found in a church family. But I encourage you to find someone that you are inspired by and be intentional about placing yourself in their path to learn from them. Cultivate the relationship and learn from aspects of the nature of God that you see present in their lives. No one is perfect, so don't get hung up if you don't agree in every way. But position yourself with a heart to learn and grow by what they carry.
Who are you doing life with? This is so important. This could be a friend or a spouse. Maybe there are multiple people who fill this role in your life. Life is so much more fun with people who can encourage us and keep us accountable to the things that God is speaking to us personally in the moment.
And then, who are you leading? Who is following you and watching your life? Be intentional about taking the moments to pour into them. Again, there may be several of these in your life. It might include your children, or members of a small group that you are leading. But don't fall prey to the lie that you don't have anything to give. Even if you have only walked with Jesus for a day, there is someone out there who can grow and be encouraged by what is on your life. Again, the thief will try to tell you how insignificant your life and your voice is, but don't believe it for a second. Without that outflow, you will find yourself stagnant and maybe even depressed. Life is found when we make deposits into the lives of other people.
So keep your eyes on Jesus who is ultimately our leader and invest in relationships with people in the middle. Abundant life is waiting for you there.
Comentários