Line Drives
I know what you're thinking...this is the first picture I have ever posted on this site, why did I choose a baseball player lying in a vulnerable position?
This is a picture of Matt Clement. He is a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who was hit in the head with a line drive off the bat of a player that he was pitching against. Can you imagine...you're about 50 feet away from a guy when he smacks a 95 mph pitch back at your head going well over 100 mph. For about a half-second you think about reacting but there's no time. This is one of the reasons that I have no desire to be a major league pitcher. They are right on the front lines!
For some strange reason the image of him getting beaned has stuck in my mind. I started thinking about how in ministry we talk about how we are on the "front lines" in a spiritual battle. If so, what are the "line drives" that we have to react to? I have been reading Spiritual Leadership by Henry Blackaby and he talks about some pitfalls that we face as leaders so I thought I would start a series of posts where I will talk about some of them. I am going to call them line drives since I am a crazy sports fan.
So #1 - Pride - An excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit
- It tempts us to take credit from others and God
- It closes our mind and makes us unteachable
- It makes us think that we can do it on our own
- It causes us to lose compassion for others
- It will eventually lead to the loss of our relationships, credibility and ultimately our position as a leader
How can we dodge the line drive of pride as leaders?
2 Comments:
I agree. It sounds really simple. Sometimes I lose sight of how much I really do deal with it...not necessarily in an egotistical way, but by worrying so much about what people think about me, whether I am making a difference, how I'll do when I speak, etc. It usually takes a paradigm shift for me to remember that on my own I cannot make a difference period. It is up to him through the Holy Spirit to bring change in others and it is a total privilege if and when he decides to let me be a part.
Ponder this verse..."The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." - 1 Cor 1:25
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