Defining Reality
One
of Max de Pree’s famous management quotes is this, “the first responsibility of
a leader is to define reality.” This is true, not only for leaders, but for all
of us who seek to follow Jesus. While we may agree with this advice, defining
reality may be more difficult than we think. How do we define reality? The need
to do so assumes that there are a host of alternatives that are somehow
counterfeit, deceptive, or misleading. As we look at the challenges of today
and the concerns for the future, how do we discern truth from deception?
The task can be even more challenging as
stewards because we have an enemy whose primary media are lies and deception.
Nothing delights the enemy more than when we fixate on illusions rather than the
truth. It takes us off course, wastes resources, and directs our focus toward
ourselves instead of toward Christ. So how do we, as stewards, define reality?
I learned a lesson about what is real and what
is illusory over the past seven weeks. Following my total knee replacement
surgery on January 6th, I was put on a heavy dose of strong
narcotics to eliminate the pain so I could engage in the rigorous physical
therapy needed to rehab my knee. It was an odd and disorienting time. While my
body was truly in pain, my brain was tricked into believing that I was feeling
better than I was. The cost of this was a constant fog. I called it living in
my ‘castle on a cloud’. It sapped my energy, kept me from being able to engage
in relationships, and fed me misinformation about my well-being. While the
deception was planned for and the long term results were for my best, it was
not a pleasant state. Neither was coming out of my ‘castle on a cloud’ and
returning to the reality of drug-free life.
I reflect back on these last few weeks realizing
that my definition of reality was significantly skewed. I wonder if the same
happens to us as stewards? The challenge, of course, is whether we choose to
define reality in light of kingdom values or worldly values? Do we assess our
present situation and future prospects in light of human wisdom and secular
metrics of success, or are they modified by God’s promises and the values of
His kingdom? Consider the following:
Is reality the challenging state of your
finances or the promise of God‘s
abundant provision for you and the work He’s called you to?
Is reality your sense that you never have enough
time to do everything you need to do or
is it the promise that God always provides enough time to do the work for which
He commissions us?
Is reality our sense of inadequacy to meet the
challenges and demands of life or is
it God’s promise that His strength will be made perfect in our weakness?
Is reality the sense of hopelessness we feel
when the challenges of the world and work overcome us or is it God‘s promise that our hope is built on nothing less than
Jesus blood and righteousness?
As stewards, it is certainly our job to define
reality. The real question is whether that reality is based on what we see and
do or on what God is doing and promises to do
in our midst? My prayer is that, as faithful stewards, we view our life and
our work through the lenses of God’s promises, that our sense of reality would
be shaped solely by the values of God‘s kingdom, the sovereignty of His power
and the overwhelming presence of His love. If we can always define reality in
these kingdom terms, we will find rest for our soul and bless all the people
whose lives we touch.
