Buy into it

Last week we had men's time which involved some running, heavy lifting, and most importantly communication. One of the activities that we had to do was walk a certain distance with 2 planks of wood positioned like skis with all 7 students on top of the boards at all time. For the first half of it, I was in front, pulling the planks of wood while we tried to step in unison. In the beginning, everyone was trying to take the lead and keep tempo or whatever and it was a giant mess. After a while the other guys were like, listen to Kevin, he's in front. He should keep tempo because he has to pull the wood. So I was trying to lead it and it was really frustrating. We would start going then someone would lose footing or the board wouldn't move as far as we wanted it to and we'd have stop and begin tempo again. What I didn't realize until later is that I was having a hard to leading mostly because I didn't buy into the way we were approaching the challenge. I wanted to try doing it a different way. I kept on asking the guys if they had any other ideas. I wasn't on board with the whole process and it hindered us.

So can you lead if you don't believe in it yourself? The short answer is no. How can you inspire your team if you're not inspired? How can you lead people a certain path if you don't trust the path you're on? How can you lead others to buy into what you're doing if you're not sold yourself? That's why it is so important to cast vision and to catch on to that vision. To be sold to the mission at hand.

That's how I felt for that activity but it's also how I've been feeling so far for project as a whole. I personally feel like I have only begun to catch vision. I've been feeling lost in everything that we've had to do as a team and have not been able to believe and trust in God's plan for us this summer. Sometimes I feel like I'm just going through the motions while talking to strangers, being in small group, participating in everything we've been doing as a team. And through God's hand I've only begun to buy into God's plan to see a movement grow, to see people come to know Jesus, and to capture this campus and island for God. I'm also starting to see how God's wants to embrace each and everyone one of us on project to love us and grow us as well.

Pray that we'd be able to see and catch vision that will spur us to do God's work like none other, to keep each other accountable to our mission, and to continually rely on God.