Priorities

"As a leader, you can remain available to mentor others. This means you may get less done in the present, but you will actually accomplish far more in the future by pouring your life into the people who can carry on those things that are nearest and dearest to your heart."

 

~ The Ascent of a Leader

Sometimes as I juggle life's many roles, I get so focused on my plans that I began to shove relationships aside. I close all the doors and make myself unavailable to others so that I can check each item off my lengthy to-do list without interruption. Have you ever found yourself doing that?

 

When I came across these words yesterday, I stopped. My eyes grew a little wider as I realized that the picture the authors had painted was just what I wanted to be, but just what I was furthest from being.

 

So what if I completed all the items on my forever growing lists of things to do? In the end, what would it all amount to? If I had not taken time to invest in the lives of others, teaching them and helping them grow so that they are able to carry on with those things that are nearest and dearest to my heart, then have I not failed?

 

I will not live forever. Not even close. At the end of my race, when I am drawing my last breath. When I look back over life, will I see nothing but the doors I slammed in the faces of those seeking my assistance, or will I see the flourishing and vibrant trees that have sprung from the investments I was willing to make...sometimes at the cost of my own personal goals?

 

What can I do to be more available to others? What might I have to give up for the present time? Am I pouring my life into others in such a way that they may better carry out those purposes ,are not only the nearest and dearest to my heart, but also to the Lord's?

 

 

CollegePlus Leadership Capstone Event

If I could sum up the CollegePlus Leadership Learning and Execution Capstone in Colorado in just a few words, it would be, life changing.

 

We arrived Tuesday afternoon and from the very moment I met with the first 11 people in the group and we boarded our shuttle, I knew that this was going to be one of the most amazing weeks of my life. The awkwardness of meeting each other for the first time lasted only a few minutes. Once we had boarded the shuttle, life stories began to be told.

 

Hearing about how the Lord had worked in each of these people's lives and how that had brought them to this very moment on a shuttle headed for the Estes Park YMCA of the Rockies was inspiring. None of us were there by chance. There was no doubt in my mind that God had brought us together for purposes far greater then we could even imagine.

 

As the week progressed and we learned from Dr. Jeff Myers of Summit, you could see a change coming over the students as we each begin to learn how to tell our story, and put into practice good mentoring and coaching skills as we visited with one another. A sparkle shown in each eye as excitement for what the Lord was doing began to be realized. Here in this group of 38 students and 13 CollegePlus coaches, friendships for a lifetime were beginning to be forged. Plans for business and ministry opportunities were being expanded and suddenly went from dreams to tangible possibilities that a few months of collaboration and hard work could turn into reality. New business and ministry ideas were put forth, and in such a manner that none of us doubted that someday soon, they too, would be reality.

In four days strangers became fast friends. In four days those who were uncertain, reserved, and stood off to the side were exclaiming about how grateful they were that they had come. Those who felt hopeless about their dreams for helping to fill the desperate needs of others, like girls with low self-esteem, human trafficking victims, and orphans in Haiti had hope that their dreams did not have to remain dreams. We all had hope. Hope and an assurance that, together, we could make a difference in the world because 1) God had plans of purpose for our lives, 2) God had brought us to this place with people who shared our visions and dreams, people who would encourage us to not give up 3) we had the keys to effective coaching, mentoring, and networking that would make it possible for us to build relationships that would ensure we no longer lacked the support we needed to move forward with making a difference. We felt encouraged to tackle the highest mountain, knowing that with God, and the people He puts into our lives, nothing will be impossible (Philippians 4:13).