Category: Light From Many Lamps (Page 1 of 2)

I am currently in the midst of several personal and work challenges, and I found reading Robert Browning’s excerpt in Part 9 to be a reminder of how a leader needs to “look at the whole picture.” Browning states,

“Live and learn, he advises the young man. Use the gifts God gave you, and make the most of your life. But remember that youth shows but half, that God’s perfect plan includes the whole of life. See all–see the whole design–and put your complete trust in God” (Watson, 1951, p. 274).

The phrases, “see all–see the whole design” and “put your complete trust in God” stand out for me in leadership currently (Watson, 1951, p. 274). Particularly, in understanding the bigger picture and having patience for situations, people and myself. Personally, I have found it easy to judge my “success” as a leader, based on circumstances. My tendency is to judge my success on how others around me are doing and/or the effectiveness of my team and ministry. Though there is something to be said about seeing the tangible effects of leadership and judging success on that; sometimes circumstances just are what they are and seeing positive change takes time. In these instances, I think it is so important to have a long-term perspective as a leader, as Browning suggests.

Currently, I am in a time where the ministry organization I am involved with and my team members are walking through many changes. Some of these changes are things like consolidating teams and leaving an area of ministry that we have been in for many years. These sort of changes have also brought about a lot of personal refinement for team members and myself, as well as challenging circumstances.

I do see some tangible effects of my leadership through this process, but to be honest at the moment it would be easy to get discouraged in looking at the situation currently. Through all this, God has been reminding me almost exactly as Browning quoted to “see the whole design” and to trust Him with everything (Watson, 1951, p. 274). I am thankful for one of my team members who recently asked me this question: “How do you not let your circumstances define who you are?”

She asked me this to encourage me that she really appreciates my leadership and that I inspire her, and not to let my circumstances make me believe lies about who I am and my leadership abilities. I so appreciated her speaking this truth into my life. It helped give me a perspective, because to be honest, I was getting pretty discouraged looking at everything as it currently was.

Another quote from Browning also stands out is,

 “A man’s value is not measured by the years he has lived, or even the work he has done. A man’s value is measured by the character he has molded” (Watson, 1951, pp. 271-272). 

I have been learning through this process not to find my value in the work I have done, but rather measuring value by how my own character and the character of those around me is being shaped through these difficulties. I also am learning to know my value in that I am a child of God, chosen, loved and valuable to Him; that nothing circumstantially in my life, will affect or take away from that value, even mistakes I make or have made as a leader.

I am thankful for the ways God is teaching me confidence, perseverance, patience and trust in Him through multiple avenues; people speaking into my life and Robert Brownings writings.

Monica

Header photo: pexels.com by rawpixel.com shared under Pexels (BY) license.

References

Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Sir William Osler stated, “Live for the day only, and for the day’s work…the chief worries of life arise from the foolish habit of looking before and after” (Watson, 1951, p. 214).

I agree that living for “the day only and the day’s work” is incredibly important in leadership (Watson, 1951, p. 214). There is a verse in the Bible, Matthew 6:34 that states something similar,

“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (ESV).

This verse brings me comfort and peace when my mind races ahead and worries about things I have no control over. Anxiety is something I am prone to, but lately have experienced a lot of freedom from it, thanks to God teaching me a lot through difficult circumstances. Occasionally, anxiety still rears its ugly head and that is usually when I am trying to “take control” of things again and not trusting God with something.

One thing I would disagree with Osler on is how far he takes this lesson, especially when he used the metaphor of the “ocean liner” with students at Yale (Watson, 1951, p. 215). Osler stated,

The way of life that I preach is a habit to be acquired gradually by long and steady repetition. It is the practice of living for the day only, and for the day’s work, living in “day-tight compartments.”…The chief worries of life arise from the foolish habit of looking before and after (Watson, 1951, p. 215).

Though I agree it is effective and wise to live for the “day only”, for both productivity and peace of mind; one thing I have discovered as a leader, is if you do not look ahead and plan accordingly, you suffer the consequences of poor planning (Watson, 1951, pp. 215). Especially in my context of student ministry, I have to be intentional with my time and plan an overall rough semester outline. This outline helps me to make the most of my time doing ministry, since the semesters are so short.

Going through ministry or any job, with no bigger aim, vision or clear path, will leave you wandering aimlessly and frustrated. Therefore, though I agree in part with Osler’s “way of life”, I would say it is also important to think ahead with vision, purpose and mission in order to make the most of the time you have in each day (Watson, 1951, pp. 215-216). This becomes especially important when you have either assignment and/or work deadlines, as losing that bigger perspective could be foolish and lead to unnecessary stress.

One final thought about Osler, stated by Watson (1951) is,

Though he himself is gone, his “way of life” remains a vital influence, helping people do their day’s work in confidence, without letting the mistakes of the past paralyze the efforts of today…without letting needless anxieties about the future waste their energies or destroy their peace of mind (p. 217).

What stand out to me is the statement, “without letting the mistakes of the past paralyze the efforts of today” (Watson, 1951, p. 217). However, to sharpen it, I would emphasize that “compartmentalizing”, which seemed to be Osler’s way as he often talked of “compartments” on the “ocean-liner”, will never help you deal with hard experiences that happened or mistakes you made (Watson, 1951, pp. 215-217). Eventually those difficulties from the past will catch up with you, “paralyze you” and then you have to deal with them (Watson, 1951, p. 217).

Additionally, sometimes the day will require us to focus on things from the past, because a past experience needs to be emotionally and/or spiritually processed. As a leader, processing emotion from past, present or future situations is not a waste of time; it is a way that we can help our “future selves” to not be “paralyzed” by trauma, fears and repercussions of the things we have faced in the past (Watson, 1951, pp. 217). Being a leader who is gaining freedom from past baggage, is the best and most effective way to lead, as it will help us lead better in the present and into the future.

Question: What do you think of Sir William Osler’s “way of life” on pp. 214-219 ? Do you fully agree? Disagree? 

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Monica

Header photo: pexels.com by Pixabay shared under Pexels (BY) license.

References

Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.

“Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit–and man is his own gardener” (Watson, 1951, p. 170).

I appreciated James Lane Allen’s excerpt found on pages 169-174. Allen drew a powerful comparison between the human mind and a garden; by using the metaphors of plants, seeds and soil and relating it to the mind and thoughts and how they produce actions (Watson, 1951, pp. 169-171).

Personally, I do not agree with Allen’s emphasis on “divinity within ourselves”, as I think we can know the “divine” and God can dwell within us, but not that we ourselves are divine (Watson, 1951, p. 171).

I do agree that thoughts are powerful and will affect our actions and the outcome of our lives (Watson, 1951, p. 171). Since thoughts produce actions, it is important for a leader to guard their minds and their thoughts. As Allen says, “a man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of his thoughts” (Watson, 1951, p. 170).

Overall, the leadership lesson I learned, is that an individual’s character and the thoughts that result will influence their personal achievements and impact as a leader, either positively or negatively (Watson, 1951, pp. 169-174).

Personally, in my own leadership there have been times when I have been very discouraged and the actions of my life and leadership have reflected that mindset.  I also have had times where my mindset has been based in fear, which has come out in anxiety and trying to control things and people. To be honest, I sometimes regret those times in my leadership when my mindset was not “right” and produced “bad fruit”, as it affected other staff members and students. I am thankful for God’s grace, the patience and understanding of others, and that I can learn and grow from those times.

Currently, I am in a season where I am experiencing joy in my work and have grown a stronger mindset in leadership. This has been a result of an intense season of personal  suffering and through it I powerfully experienced God with me. I have grown a stronger resolve and a better perspective on who I am and my place in the world. Though I am nowhere near perfect, I have seen a change in my character, because of the work of Jesus in my life; producing joy, hope, and steadfastness. Without Jesus, I know in my natural self I would still be feeling discouraged and hopeless, as it was such a difficult time.

As a leader, it is important to regularly reflect, assess and analyze “the fruit” of your leadership and the impact you are having on others. As Allen says, “Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and sufferings are its fruits”(Watson, 1951, p. 170). This makes me ask, “What of my actions are having an impact on others,  either positively or negatively, and what thoughts motivated those actions?” It is important to keep in mind, that sometimes leaders have to make hard decisions or voice difficult things, that first seem negative, but actually in the larger perspective are positive and produce growth.

A great way to evaluate your character, thoughts and resulting actions as a leader is to consistently ask for honest feedback from the people you work with or lead. Also the most telling relationships to your character are those you are closest with, a partner, spouse, parents, siblings, friends or even a boss or co-worker you are close with. Ask them where they think you could grow in your character? You could even ask them what you are like to live with or work with?

A verse in the Bible, that reminds me this lesson is Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV),

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Questions to reflect on:

1. Take an honest look at your personal life and leadership, what kind of fruit are you bearing? Ask others for feedback.
2. How do your actions portray the nature of your character and thoughts? 
3. Do you want to change, yes or no? If yes, what do you need to do to change? If no, what are the consequences of that decision?

Monica

Header photo: pexels.com by Kaboompics.com shared under Pexels (BY) license.

References

Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.

The excerpt from Light from Many Lamps on Arnold Bennet and his view of time was challenging, inspiring and very applicable to my leadership. The main lesson I took from this reading is: the value of time and that it can be used wisely and to its full potential (Watson, 1951, pp. 142-144). As a result, I reflected on how I use my time and also how I teach time management to the staff and students I mentor in my ministry. I have found time has been a consistent struggle in life and ministry, as I often I feel like there is never enough and find managing it frustrating.

Bennet states, “Time is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it, all is possible; without it, nothing. The supply of time is truly a daily miracle, an affair genuinely astonishing when one examines it” (Watson, 1951, p. 143). The way Bennet viewed time is refreshing as he knew how precious it was and the miracle of it.

Bennet’s view reminded me of some lessons I believe God taught me last year. Last year, I was confronted with how precious time is with the death of a dear family member. It was a jarring experience and it made me re-evaluate my life and how I spent my time. Typically in North American culture, we think and behave as if we will never die and that time on earth is endless. We generally do not see time as a daily miracle or gift, as Bennet did (Watson, 1951, p. 143). However, when death hits close to home, I recognized that the allusion of our time never-ending, gets replaced with the stark reality of how limited our time is. Seeing this family member take their last breath will always stay with me, it was something I had never seen or experienced before and the grief is still with us, as they are dearly missed. It was a very difficult time, but amazingly I experienced so much of God’s grace, assurance and peace that this person was now with in heaven and their suffering was over because they knew Jesus.

In the face of death, I found I gained a renewed perspective on my time here on earth and how short it truly is and I experienced a profound gratefulness and resolve to not to waste it. Arnold Bennet was resolved that the way he used his time made the difference, spending it wisely and not wasting it (Watson, 1951, p. 143).  As I said above, facing death caused me to re-examine my life and priorities and where I was wasting time. I realized a few things that needed adjusting:

1. Faith over Fear: fear was holding me back and causing me to not fully be who God called me to be, as a result my time here on earth was not reaching its full potential.
2. Relationships over Ambition: before I was very driven by a somewhat unhealthy ambition. This caused a lot of my time to be task-orientated and self-motivated. I recognized time in relationships and pointing people to Jesus in all I do is never wasted time and to value people over task.
3. Full surrendered to Jesus: as a Christian, I know Jesus personally and through the Holy Spirit’s guidance I trust God to help me make the most of my time here on earth. I think before this, I was very self-reliant and not reliant on God in all things. This is a journey that I am still walking in, but I have noticed my self-reliance has significantly decreased.

I appreciate and value Bennet’s thoughts on time and it is very inspiring and I do not doubt the influence it has had on many! We see that Bennet “budgeted his time, so that every hour served some useful purpose and it worked” (Watson, 1951, p.142)! However, I actually think he is under-emphasizing one thing, which is the basis of God being the giver of time and that in right relationship with God through Jesus flows an understanding of God’s will and purpose for our daily lives. I would suggest that purpose without understanding God’s greater plan and purpose for our lives in His world creates a vacuum. We find ourselves needing to create our own meaning and purpose and with a constant question of, “are we using our time wisely?”  How do we ever know the answer, without a greater purpose and/or moral framework to base it off of?

To be clear, I do not doubt that in the human spirit, with strong will and discipline people can use time well as Bennet speaks about how he encouraged people to budget their time and spend it wisely and to use wasted hours to advance and improve their minds, personalities, careers and ultimately their lives (Watson, 1951, p. 144). However, my question is this:

Is the sole purpose of advancing and improving ourselves in life a good reason for why we should not waste our time? Or is there a greater purpose in this life to live for?

Monica

Header photo: pexels.com by JESHOOTS shared under Pexels (BY) license.

References

Watson, L.E. (1951). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.