Taking a Closer Look…
I’ve got another great read from my buddy Tim. Enjoy.
Taking a Closer Look… by Tim Burkholder
NOT LONG AGO I ENJOYED BREAKFAST with a fine gentleman from across town. Over coffee and corned-beef hash, this information-technologist-turned-pastor recounted his transition from the IT industry into full-time ministry, and the joys and struggles along his journey.
Clearly at a high point in his career, he was an integral part of a technology-based company that, in his eyes, was on the cusp of becoming a multi-million dollar venture - but for one thing. It wasn’t a lack of vision or drive; it was what some might call micromanaging, and what I’ve come to see as shortsighted selfishness. Understandably, since this company was the president’s baby, he wanted to be a part of everything - he put his hand on every product, he controlled every decision. Feeling that the company’s success was being hampered by the president’s leadership, my coffee companion saw no alternative but to seek employment elsewhere. Essentially, the company’s growth was limited by one man’s inability to let go of his desire to be important.
The uncomfortable reality is that I too seem to have a natural inclination toward shortsighted selfishness. Too o?en, I have the urge to “fix” people who are different from me or try to make them more like me. Naturally we see others through our own self-lens, and this can have many different effects. Sometimes we want others to think the same way we do or have a personality similar to our own. Other times we want people to make the same decisions we would, or possibly even to make the decision for them. How many times have you said, “I don’t understand how they could do something like that?” Occasionally, and unfortunately, we can even become forceful, controlling, or manipulative.
This is not the way it was meant to be. When we attempt to make people more like us, we destroy fellowship.
On the flip side, I love to be around people who realize it isn’t about them and who aren’t consumed with themselves. They’re comfortable with who God has made them, and they desire to lead others on that journey of discovery. They epitomize servant leadership by equipping those around them to recognize their strengths and utilize them. Instead of controlling, they are capacitating. Instead of micromanaging, they are mentoring. In the second chapter of Philippians, Paul gives us a powerful image of selfless service. The Message translates it this way: “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that - a crucifixion.”
Instead of becoming preoccupied with self, we can look to Jesus and serve those around us. How freeing that we don’t have to make others think and act like us! Christ’s example shows us that the less we make life about us, the better it is for us - and for those around us. We can encourage our friends and family members to be confident in who God has made them. By serving others in this way, we can help them realize their unique identity - that they are loved infinitely by their Creator. We have the great opportunity to create a community that is increasingly more like Christ.
Think about the uninspiring dullness of a monochromatic world. Imagine a lifeless place where anyone has the power to make everyone else identical to him or herself. Thankfully, God’s design is something very different: a colorful, varied mosaic. The beauty of the mosaic is that each little piece, though significantly different from the others, is integral to the larger picture. Every prismatic piece is a part of something beautiful. I think it’s time I traded in my shortsighted spectacles for a chance to step back and experience the full mosaic. How about you?