Dare Great Things For Christ

Without a doubt one of the hardest parts of being a leader is that we have to embrace solitude.  In this series we are looking at the various dimensions or kinds of solitude that leaders embrace and how Jesus meets each one of us along the way.  In this fourth part of our series we focus in on the solitude of risks.  On the fact that when we decide to act we inevitably have to act alone.  Or do we?  Perhaps it’s in our greatest solitude that we find union with Christ.

 Across the board and throughout time leaders have always complained about being alone.  The expression “it’s lonely at the top” says it well.  But this loneliness is not always a bad thing, in fact, usually it is the result of doing what leaders have to do.  When you lead you’re first and when you’re first you’re necessarily alone.  In this third part of our series on embracing solitude we look at the particular solitude that comes from planning and the surprising ways that we can find Christ there. 

Every entrepreneur knows that having a good idea is only the beginning of the process.  To be successful you need to take that idea to market.  This involves production which involves people, organization, and year of hard effort.  At times the loneliness of the innovator can be so intense that we want to stop innovating altogether.  And yet innovation, novelty, beginning new things is part and parcel of the call to evangelize.  How does Christian grace sanctify the innovator’s solitude.

One of the most commonly used phrases to describe the experience of leadership is “it’s lonely at the top.”  The phrase resonates with leaders of all stripes and colors but what does it mean for a Christian?  Is there a way to find a deeper meaning to the solitude of leadership?  How did Jesus live His life as a leader?  How did the saints do it time and again?  And in what way can this pathway of solitude be a pathway of holiness for us today?  Here is Part One of our new series Embracing Solitude.

Following the footsteps of Christ into leadership is a wild ride.  Anytime you step forward to change the status quo you need to be ready for anything that can come.  And yet for all of its challenge is there really any other way to live?  Anytime we exert our personal freedom we change the world around us.  Maybe the problem isn’t that we are making a difference, maybe the problem is that we aren’t comfortable with the wild ride.  This is where St. Paul can help us.  In this final episode of our series we see how St. Paul lived life on the edge.

It's one thing to want to Dare Great Things For Christ and begin new initiatives and projects, it’s quite another thing to finish them.  The first stage in any initiative is dreaming, hoping, and aspiring for great things.  But carrying through our aspirations all the way to the end requires another set of skills.  It requires sacrifice, dedication, and just pure grit.  St. Paul embodied all of those qualities and gives us an example of leadership that continues to inspire us today. 

Let’s face it, trying to accomplish things can be exhausting.  Acting upon decisions that we’ve made means spending valuable resource, our time and our energy in pursuit of them.  At first this experience can be euphoric, but soon it can turn into burn out.  We who are in leadership have engaged in lives that are dedicated to this type of action.  What are we supposed to do when we feel burn out?  What did St. Paul do to counter his exhaustion?  In this next class we will try and find out.

One thing is for sure: to do anything, you have to start doing it.  A lot of people have ideas, ideas that can even change the world, but if they don’t start and actually make things happen nothing will ever get done.  The same held true for the lives of the saints like St. Paul.  He too had to face many obstacles, and he lived in constant uncertainty, and yet he started things anyway.  Starting is an art and a science, and I hope St. Paul’s example can inspire you today.

If there’s one thing anybody in charge of anything has in common with each other it’s that leaders of any kind need to know where they’re going.  So what do we do when we don’t know where we are going?  The situation can even be harder for Christian leaders who are trying to become instruments of God.  How do we do something that is entirely beyond our power?  St. Paul gives an example of how to walk in the fog.  His life was full of unknowing and yet he moved forward bravely and God used him as he went.

Vision is certainly one of the greatest challenges to leadership.  In many ways leaders are called to stare into the void where nothing seems possible and find a path forward.  Already this is a terrific blessing for our world, because it allows for innovation and success.  But God wants to do something even more with vision.  He wants His leaders to accomplish His will and to work His plan.  St. Paul teaches us just how to cooperate with God to make this happen.