Stop!
By Dr. Brian Simmons
Photo by Jana Knorr on Unsplash
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23
As Christian leaders we do our best to spend time in prayer and the Word of God so that we can walk by faith. As human beings, we can be disappointed when things don’t seem to go our way.
From the perspective of time my testimony is that God’s ways are always best! “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8.
As my son, Jared, and I work with our founding elementary principal Bonnie Allen, our launch team and our board of directors to found Lakeside Christian Academy some days feel like three steps forward! Others feel like one step forward and three steps back! Three steps back looks like closed doors… stop signs!
When the Lord closes a door, we have two choices. We can either willingly be redirected in the way the Lord wants us to go or we can pound our heads against the closed door. From the perspective of time, God’s ways are always best!! One response is futile and the other is productive.
As spiritual leaders we are to move others onto God’s agenda for the organizations He owns (all of them 🙂 ) and He has entrusted us to lead as His stewards. We must daily seek God’s purposes before we can work enabled by Him to lead others In accomplishing His will. As the owner it is God’s prerogative alone how much or how little He entrusts to our care as His stewards. We do not live in the realm of rights. We serve in the realm of responsibilities as we put service to God and others over self interest.
The perspective of a faithful steward leader helps us to deal with stop signs God brings into our lives. He redirects us for our good and His glory! At the end of the day, faithful stewards long to hear the words, “Well done good and faithful steward. Come. Let’s celebrate!”
