One of my great battles is with patience. For me, waiting sucks. My wife has lost count of the times I have been in a store, seen the queue at the checkout and just put the stuff back. I struggle with things that take longer than I think they should. I don’t wait long for people who are not on time, and I sometimes get frustrated when things get in the way of what I think is important now.
However, I have learned the hard way that in church leadership sometimes waiting is more important than moving. God doesn’t always work to our timescale. This can be difficult for the many activists in the church.
Have you ever noticed how often the words wait, remain and stay appear in the Bible? Let’s use Isaiah 40:31 as an example: “Those who wait upon the lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.”
The word we translate wait (or hope in some versions of the text) is Qavah. It means expectant longing or waiting for something. It is to those who wait, who hold on expectantly, that the Lord will reveal Himself. The group that waits will overcome. We wait before we soar. We must try not to soar before we wait.
The disciples were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). They were to make space for the Lord to do what He wanted in their lives. They were expected to hand over their timescales as well as their gifting and ideas.
Part of our restoration begins as we, in honest, open vulnerability, come before the Lord who loves us , then refuse to rush on or pick stuff up again.
Remember…
You wait, listening for the voice of the one who called us.
You wait, in worship, focusing upon Him.
You wait as we find new strength and restoration.
You are not disqualified by our wounds.
Leading through a pandemic has been draining and challenging. It is alright, you have never experienced anything like this before.
The uncertainty of what is to come is also exhausting, but my contention is that carrying wounds will bring you closer to a model of Jesus’ leadership. As you discover your own limitations and weakness, you will discover a vulnerability and compassion that flows from Christ into and through your woundedness.
You must never forget who you are in Jesus. You must avoid the traps of negativity, reminding yourself of the grace and love that is yours in Jesus.
You need to learn to come to Jesus, even if you are exhausted and you don’t have energy to say much. You can just dwell in His presence and wait upon Him.
You, like us all, will be changed by the season you have gone through; no one will be the same. However, the wounds you carry do not exclude you from your calling; they may even free you to be more like the wounded healer that we follow.
You may need time, you will need others, you may need help, but God will not abandon you. Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil His good purpose.”
Read more from the series:
Wounded leadership: four-part editorial series
Take some time out to ponder and refocus with these short reflections on leading from a place of weakness Read more
