Tomorrow is Easter. I don’t have a vocabulary adequate enough to describe what the resurrection of Jesus meant for the universe. If you have the time, listen to the last 10 minutes or so so if this powerful sermon. You’ll get a glimpse of who King Jesus is. If you have 66 minutes to hear the full sermon you’ll hear some transforming truth about prayer, your life, and The King.
Happy Easter. God bless.
Jerry
Let’s face it, no matter what role in life you find yourself in, there are times your problems seem much bigger than the resources you have to solve them. If you are like me, when those perilous stretches of time are pressing in I don’t sleep well, I don’t eat well, and I focus all my thoughts on how big the problems are and on how much power they have over me. The more I obsess on my difficulties the more dominance I allow them to have over me.
A few years ago the senior pastor of my church taught me a very powerful truth about problems. The truth is found in this simple phrase that resonates in my mind when difficult circumstances start to seem like they are going to have the upper hand. My pastor’s words of truth: “If you have a BIG GOD you’ve got small problems; If you have a small god you’ve got BIG PROBLEMS.” This simple phrase helps me move away from emphasizing the power of the predicaments in front of me and helps me focus on the resources I have around me and inside of me.
As leaders when we see the threats in front of us we must reposition our fear and focus on the opportunities and strengths of our organizations. Concentrate on gathering the collective energy and creativity of our staff to find new paths forward. As parents we need to always be looking at our children’s many gifts, talents, and passions rather than their few hang-ups. Doing so helps them grow into their best selves. It also helps them see themselves through the lens of capability rather than inability.
So friends, let’s be real here. Life is hard. Each day brings its share of trouble. But by God’s grace, and by focusing on the resources we have, we can move forward helping our organizations and families be overcomers rather than overcome.
Blessings,
Jerry
Anyone in a leadership role has felt it. That sense of crushing pressure compressing on you by difficult circumstances. The pressure may be coming from internal or external forces. It may be complex and multifaceted. Either way, as the primary decision maker and problem solver for an organization, you feel the stress. We leaders respond to the pressure in different ways depending on our personalities or the make-up of our character. Some of us get angry and aggressive. Others get distant and distracted. Some get sick. Yet some of us, on good days, find a way to move through the stress and remain hopeful. The pressures and circumstances pushing on us stay the same, but we were able to see them differently. We see them as transient and manageable instead of fixed and intolerable.
If the stressors remain the same then what is it that allows a leader to handle the pressures more adaptively? The answer is in finding coping skills equal to the forces pushing on us. When I have the opportunity to speak to aspiring leaders I often tell them I have to take three kinds of medication to handle the pressures of my job. The medications I take are 1) regular exercise (usually running, 2) journaling, and 3) prayer/meditation. I find that when I am taking my medication regularly the very large, powerful, and frightening problems aren’t as daunting. It also seems that the greater the strength of the stress, the more I have to rely on my medication. When things are rough, I need more exercise, journaling, prayer, and meditation.
If you are a leader who is feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by the trials and difficulties in your job, try looking for some helpful medicine. I know leaders who paint, draw, write, run, do yoga, martial arts, meditate, pray, or participate in a drum circle. If you take the remedy regularly your problems may look much more solvable and your stress may feel much more tolerable.
God bless,
Jerry