I was tempted to title this post “The Gift of The Holy Spirit II”, as it is a follow-up to the original post which was made on April 19, 2009. I changed my mind at the last minute, because until a few months ago, until the Holy Spirit took over, I was a reluctant leader, indeed…
I guess that at certain times of my life, better yet, for the majority of my life, I’ve been put in the position of being a leader. As an older brother, husband, father, and business owner, many have looked to me for leadership.
I don’t know exactly why that was the case…perhaps it was that, mentally, I was always older than my years. I think that I must have come out of my mother’s womb as an adult, because I can’t really remember the joy that should have come with being young. I don’t recall being just a kid, with no worries or cares. My family didn’t have a lot of money…didn’t have much money…okay, we were a couple of steps above being dirt poor when I was little, so I grew up at a young age. I had to grow up; there were no other options.
My early-age maturity set the table for people looking to me for leadership…for answers. By the time I was in my late teens and early twenties even my parents looked to me for guidance in some areas. And I must admit that I was flattered that people respected me enough to look to me for leadership.
BUT…
I didn’t want to be a leader; didn’t want any part of it! You see, I didn’t think that I was qualified to lead anyone. In my mind, a “leader” is defined as someone who can steer, direct, or take people to where they want to go, where they need to go. A leader should have a vision for what lies ahead, for what is to be achieved. A leader should be committed to making that vision a reality. One more thought about a leader…it’s not necessarily about the leader’s vision being right or wrong…it’s about the act of stepping up to be a leader.
I didn’t have a vision for my own life, so how could I have a vision for someone else’s? How could I possibly be a leader for others when I had no sense of direction and no burning desire to achieve anything, because I didn’t know what I wanted to achieve. Besides, I really didn’t think that I was good enough, or worthy enough, to achieve much, but that’s a topic best saved for another day.
For all those years, I was a reluctant leader, especially in business, until…
One day; the day I got my tattoo, the day that I committed myself to being a soldier of Christ, the day that I was born again. On that day everything started to change. My perspective on life, on people, on myself, and most importantly, on God changed. God began working in me and through me to reach out to others. I formed a vision for our business and made a commitment to make that vision a reality. Let me clarify something: My vision, oddly enough, was not for our business, but for the people working for us. I was becoming a leader.
But something was still missing. I was becoming a leader, alright, but it was out of a sense of obligation to those around me, and not because it was something that was really in my heart.
Catalyst
To refresh your memory, and for you first time visitors, Catalyst was a men’s retreat sponsored by The Church of The Highlands that I attended in March of this year.
On the second day of Catalyst I signed up to take part in Discovery 301, a class in which the participant (that would be me) answers a few hundred multiple choice questions as a way of taking a look “inside.”
The first section of the questionnaire defined my personality traits. Without going into a lot of detail, I’ll tell you that my results showed that I was an I-C personality, which basically meant that while I was competent, cautious, inspiring, and influencing, I wasn’t really a strong leader. This came as a surprise to the moderator, Pastor Joshua Canizaro, who knew that I had been a business owner for many years. It came, of course, as no surprise to me; I knew that I was a reluctant leader, and told him as much.
The second section of the questionnaire helped to determine my spiritual gifts. No surprises there…my gifts, in descending order, were evangelism, faith, and encouraging others.
I walked away from Discovery emboldened by the fact the results had validated the Evangelism that had been growing inside of me, but a little disheartened that I seemed to lack leadership.
Later that night I took part in a Baptism of The Holy Spirit; that is took say that I asked to receive The Holy Spirit into my life. If you haven’t read the post that I referenced at the beginning of this one, I urge you to do so because it will give you some insight as to what I’m going to tell you next.
Fast forward one month…
Jackie (my wife) and I were participating in Growth Track, a series of four classes offered to newcomers at Highlands. The third class in the series was Discover 301 (yes, the same one that I had taken at Catalyst). I decided that I would not only accompany Jackie to the class, but answer the questions again; just to see if anything had changed. Prior to taking the “test” I cleared my mind as best I could and asked God to help me answer all the questions from my heart…
Okay, let me just get right to the point on this:
On the personality profile, my strongest traits were “D-I”, which meant that I was direct, decisive, inspiring, and influencing. In other words, I was a leader inspiring others.
My spiritual gifts were, in descending order, leadership, evangelism, and faith.
I sat there, stunned by the new results, but not really surprised. You see, since that night at Catalyst, I had felt the presence of The Holy Spirit growing in me! Whereas before I enjoyed sharing the gift of God with others, I now want to stand atop the highest mountain and shout His praises. Before, I would ask God to open doors for me…now I’ll run through walls for Him! There is nothing, nothing that I wouldn’t do for Him.
With regards to being a leader? Oh, I accept my role as a leader in our salon, and, and it is more of a joy than it has ever been. As far as my personal life is concerned, I believe that my role, my purpose of being, is to enlighten people about Christ and lead people to Him. And as I’ve told you before, I do this with a boldness that has taken many by surprise.
More than a suggestion…
In the original post I suggested that you might want to call on the Holy Spirit the next time that you’re in prayer. I’m rescinding that suggestion. Instead, I’m imploring you to ask to be filled with Him with all that is in you. And I don’t mean once; every time that you’re in prayer I want you to ask to receive Him. Without fail.
As a rule, I don’t like to make promises, because quite often they lead to the promisor failing to deliver and the promisee being disappointed. BUT, I’m going to promise you this:
You keep calling on the Holy Spirit to fill you, and I believe with all that is in me that He will do it. It may not be that day, or that week, or even that month…but it will happen. You will receive His comfort and strength, and in doing so you will be filled by a sense of peace unlike any you have ever known. And those attacks from Satan? (He does come after you, even if you don’t realize it.) I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that they’ll stop, but I am gonna tell you that with The Holy Spirit the odds of you kicking his butt increase exponentially!
How do I know that this will happen for you?
Because that’s the way our God is.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13 (NIV)
See you next Monday!
sam@theseedofhope.com
I’m sitting here reflecting on one of the team members in our hair salon. This individual has so much God-given talent, but won’t put forth the effort to use it. So I’m aggravated and I need to vent! I try to refrain from speaking in anger (I’m afraid I’ll say something that I can’t take back.), but I’m going to make an exception this time. I’m gonna start typing and we’ll see what happens…..
I’m aware of the fact that the majority of the posts made on this site are about faith. I don’t apologize for that fact. I’ve told you before, everything that I do in life points back to God. I AM a Christian. But I’m also a business man. There is a side of me that wants to be successful, that wants MORE, of whatever it is….money, material things, good food, and good times. I want these things, but they aren’t the driving forces in my life; serving God is first, wife Jackie is second, and my personal needs are next.
So if I’ve ever presented myself to you as being more than just a regular guy, I want to apologize to you and set the record straight. I’m just like you…..trying to make it in life the best way I can; as long as it’s the right way.
It’s never easy.
Okay, you’ve probably heard it a thousand times, in one version or the other, that “nothing good in life comes easy”. You can apply this adage to most every facet of your life….relationships, money, and of course, faith. Though I’m certainly no expert in any area, I want to briefly talk about all three.
Relationships
This past Wednesday, April 22nd, Jackie and I celebrated our 20th Wedding Anniversary. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard through the years that we are the “perfect couple”. I don’t believe in perfection, but I have to tell you, our marriage is rock solid.
We work together, side by side, five days a week, and have done so since before we were married. When we’re away from the salon, we’re together 90% of the time. You get the idea, right? We’re “joined at the hip!” And we’re still best friends….this neither a coincidence nor an accident.
Funny thing is, when it comes to hobbies, interests, time management, and use of free time, Jackie and I are polar opposites! That’s not to say that we don’t have anything in common. We obviously have a lot in common, the most important thing being that we’re committed to one another, and to our marriage.
Thing is, Jackie and I don’t work on our marriage; we work on our relationship. We value each others opinion. We’re grateful for each others strengths, and rely on those strengths in areas that we have weaknesses. We help each other to grow, in terms of being a better person. In fact, we push one another to be better. Lastly, we take neither our relationship nor our marriage for granted. We know that we’re never promised tomorrow.
Money
I guess I could have titled this section CAREER, but the reason that the majority of us choose a career is to make money, right? Thus the title….and speaking of money, let me say this: I agree that money isn’t everything, but it sure beats the heck out of not having it!
Jackie and I will have been in the salon business together for 20 years in October. During that time I have seen quite a few talented people come and go. I’ve been filled with regret to see a few of them leave, and conversely, I’ve been relieved to see others walk out the door. Want to know why? Before I answer that one, here’s another question for you:
Which is a greater tragedy? The individual born with no talent at all or the individual that chooses not use a natural gift, or ability?
I know that I’m answering a question with a question, but why is it that some people feel that they’re “entitled” to something? A college degree…a title…a cute face…a handsome face…being the son-daughter-friend-acquaintance of someone, are not entitlements. Granted, any of the above may open doors, but they will only take you so far. At some point, you have to be accountable for who you are, what you do, and how you do it.
I’ve seen people with average talent become extremely successful. On the other hand, I’ve seen extremely gifted people fall woefully short of their potential. Why? They wanted to be successful, but weren’t willing to make a commitment for that success.
Faith
I’d like to tell you that practicing my faith has been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. I’d like to tell you that practicing my faith has been one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. What I am going to tell you is that practicing my faith has been both.
Some may define “practicing faith” as going to church on Sunday, offering a blessing before meals, or reading the Bible. All of these are good, because each example brings an awareness of God into one’s life.
I used to do all those things (and still do), but what I’m talking about is more than that…..
Here’s the challenging aspect: I’m talking about going after God with all that is in you. I’m talking about putting everything else in your consciousness on the back burner and putting God in the forefront of your life, trying to live your life in a manner that would please Him….not merely knowing His commandments, but living them (ALL of them), praying when you don’t feel like it, letting go of the wheel and letting Him lead you….asking Christ to have a relationship with you (knowing that He’s with each day brings a new level of accountability in life).
I wasn’t accustomed to doing all of these things, so integrating them into my daily life was a tall order for me; like I said, it was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. Perhaps the most difficult of all was in believing that changing my walk in life would truly change my life.
Here’s the easy part:
When I got a taste of having God in my life every day…. when I felt the presence of Christ in my life….when I felt Him come alive in me….when I realized that having Him in my life made my relationship with Jackie better….when I let Him have my career…..
I know that I’m rambling, but I’m having a hard time describing exactly what has happened to me….putting Christ in my life gave me a sense of being complete. It is that completeness that drives me to know Him more and more each day.
When all is said and done…..
I’ve come full circle to repeat what I said at the beginning of this post: nothing good in life comes easy. If you only put 50% of your talent, energy, and effort into whatever it is you are trying to accomplish, how can you possibly expect to get more than 50% in return?
If you want that relationship to last, treasure it, nurture it, and never take it for granted. Like so many things in life, if you lose it, you may never get it back.
If you have a special gift or talent in a certain field of endeavor, please don’t waste it. There are so many people in the world that would love to have a fraction of the talent that has been given to you.
You want to experience the love, comfort, joy, strength, and enlightenment that comes with having a relationship with Christ? Do you think that I’ve got the market cornered on God? I don’t. All of this is waiting for you.
Don’t just look to Him. Don’t just walk towards Him. Drop what you are doing and run to Him with all that is in you! He will welcome you with open arms. And I promise you that you won’t be disappointed.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Okay, I’m aware that today isn’t Monday. It’s just that sometimes there are thoughts that I want to share with you, and I often forget about them, either because I didn’t think they were very significant, or because I just forgot to do it! Besides, there’s no rule that says I have to wait until Monday!
I want to talk to you about sharing; not me sharing what I have with you, but you sharing what you have with me.
There are a few of you that have sent verses from the Bible to support some of the topics that I write about. Some of you have posted comments or sent e-mails citing your own experiences regarding some of the posts that I’ve made, and others have taken the time just to say thanks for openly sharing even my deepest thoughts.
And I have to tell you….AWESOME catches up with me each time I hear from one of you!
Some of you are aware of the fact that I just started reading the Bible just over a year ago. A few of you have steered me to a chapter and verse specific to a particular post, and each time it has served in strengthening my walk and made me hungry to learn even more.
Much of what I pass along to you comes from the minds and mouths of others, sometimes through books, but most often through conversations with people I meet in life; people like you.
And as far as thanking me for sharing…..look, this site is one of the passions of my life. God is the passion in my life, and talking about Him is what I enjoy most. So I want to thank you for visiting this site and for allowing me to share my spiritual journey with you!
I look forward to hearing from you…yes, you.
“See” you next Monday, if not sooner.
God is good.
Contact me: sam@theseedofhope.com
