Leadership is Difficult but Worth it.

I have been confronted with the reality that leadership is both difficult and rewarding. This is my first week of leading the Student Missionary Union at Biola under the full weight of my classes. Despite the difficult decisions I have to make and the constant need to pour out into other people I have come to this realization: 

I was made for this. 

Last night I has the opportunity to sit down with my staff and cast vision and dream God-sized dreams for 4 hours during a department re-structuring meeting. We covered 4 giant white boards with scribbles and diagrams as we began to envision what God wants to do on and through this campus.  When I left that meeting, I was brimming with both joy and satisfaction. I had a new level of faith not because what we did was difficult (which it was) but because God lead us through the process every step of the way. 

It was hard to fall asleep last night as I had so much excitement about the things God had revealed to me and my team. Our hearts were unified as one as my heart was connected to my Heavenly Father’s heart and vision.  

This is what Jesus was praying for in his high priestly prayer. This is what is looks like to abide in the vine. I felt so connected to my Father in that I could share in his plans not as a slave but as a friend and a child of his. To be honest, the point wasn’t really the task ahead of my staff and I but it was all about taking on that task in the context of relationship with God.   We were excited to do this with  God, not for Him.  

I could have stayed up all night with God as we planned ways to impact this world and change the very essence of society. I had dreams to influence culture and harness it for the glory of God. It was then that I realized how limited I am and how difficult this task would be.  

In that moment, my heart was turned to prayer because I caught sight of this truth: the dreams of God’s heart can only be accomplished by his own hand. Prayer was the first step in partnering with God to see his will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. 

I fell asleep completely exhausted but satisfied. 

Leadership is Difficult, but it is so worth it. When you work under the influence of the innovative Holy Spirit, its hard not to get excited to see his plans unfold before your very eyes as he allows you to partner in what he is doing.