Leading with a Limp

"Leading and Living with a Limp"

In my book Defying Gravity, I describe nine gauges on the “leadership instrument panel” that can keep leaders from losing perspective and spiritual altitude as they encounter life’s storms. These gauges are helpful to any believer encountering difficulties. Last time I checked, that’s all of us.

Wisdom for the Wounded

One of the gauges that surprises readers, and has been the subject of interesting conversations during recent radio interviews, is the topic of “Indispensable Pain.” At first, this does not seem to be an essential or positive idea for leadership survival. Yet, on further consideration, we should all see that pain and wounds are crucial to our maturity and longevity.

C. S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Pain is God’s way of awakening and shaping leaders as well. Seasoned and enduring leaders always have stories of pain and loss that have powerfully shaped their character, approach, and longings.

I’ve heard it said that before God can use a man greatly, He must first wound him deeply. Oswald Chambers was right when he taught, “If we are ever going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed — you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed.” Charles Spurgeon understood this when he wrote, “I am certain that I never did grow in grace one-half so much anywhere as I have upon the bed of pain.”

That Strange Flight Gauge Called Pain

Of the nine gauges of the leadership instrument panel, none may be more paradoxical than pain. It may be indispensable, but it is rarely welcome. Yet God uses it for good. Consider these paradoxical truths about the role of pain in our lives:
• Wounds are the preface to true greatness.
• Before God can remake us, He must first break us.
• Leaders tested by adversity are able to understand and minister to those they serve.
• Authentic, high-impact ministry results from an honest admission of the hard-earned lessons of life.
• Before you bless, you must bleed; before you can help, you must first hurt.
• Our wounds become tender scabs; but later, empowering scars.
• Through our wounds God notarizes our leadership as true and authoritative.

Wounded Heroes of the Faith

Eventually leaders learn from experience that before God can remake us, He must first break us. The truly lasting lessons are learned through suffering. Wounds are the preface to true greatness. Just a few of the many biblical examples convince us:

• Job lost his family and fortunes and endured painful misunderstanding from friends before he was blessed with a deeper knowledge of God and the restoration of his life.
• Joseph was rejected by family and forgotten in a prison he did not deserve before he saved the day for Egypt.
• Moses endured the desert in forty years of obscurity and bewilderment before he became the great leader of Israel’s deliverance.
• David ran for his life many years, facing painful rejection and perplexing delays, before he became Israel’s king.
• Hosea endured the pain of repeated infidelity after marrying a prostitute before he became a powerful prophet.
• Peter felt the regret and brokenness of his own failed loyalty before he preached with power at Pentecost.
• Paul was blind, broken, and banished on the backside of a desert in preparation for his world-changing ministry of church planting and inspired biblical writing. He became even stronger through the weakness of a nagging thorn in his flesh.

I’ve always loved Paul’s undisputed statement of his credibility as a leader in reply to his critics. Facing the recurring pain of criticism and personal attack, he wrote, “From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17). The marks of pain are a crucial component of every leadership instrument panel. Remember them. Trust them. They are your friends through the turbulent seasons of life.

Embracing our Wounds

Years ago, when my wife and I were going through a terribly painful season of ministry, our elders sent us to a retreat center designed for ministry couples. While there for 10 days, the Lord healed our hearts and restored our hope through the wisdom of biblical counselors and time to pray and think together about the Lord’s calling on our lives.

One afternoon, I experienced a breakthrough as I sought to write out the deep reflections and truths the Lord was pouring into my heart. I wrote the following poem. It has been a great help to my heart on many occasions since then and has blessed many other leaders over the years. Perhaps it will provide the encouragement you need today as you receive God’s grace in your pain, and His wisdom to “defy gravity” in the midst of life’s storms.

The Wound

They didn’t warn me about the wound in seminary
So it has come as quite a shock to my unsuspecting heart.
At times it seems so deep — beyond the repair of stitches.
Even divine sutures seem insufficient and vain;

The breadth of the wound overwhelms me at moments:
All consuming — defeating — debilitating.
Then, some days the wound is inconsequential.
I busy myself with administrivia to anesthetize its presence.
I try to enjoy my family and hope it doesn’t surface.

After the well-delivered Sunday sermon, I forget it is there.
But by Monday, its stench and pain has reappeared,
Creating a noticeable limp in my ministerial gait
And a dullness to my vision and faith.

I would like to ignore it: just pretend it’s not true.
But its dull, sometimes sharp prompting won’t leave me alone.
It goes with me — following me everywhere —
Within me at all times, reminding me constantly.

It has become the unwelcome mirror of my weakness and vulnerability.
The wound is a grinding present memory of my failures;
Its reality shoots through the nervous system of my inner-man,
Calling out for attention, at least a fair estimation.

So now, in these quiet moments, I sit —
face to face with my woundedness.

Oh, my wound — my horrible wound — you unwelcomed intruder.
Why have you come? Why won’t you go?

Perhaps I have no recourse but to make you my friend.
You must know that I would not have chosen you as a companion,
For in so many ways you are ugly and troublesome to me.

But now, I must love you, embrace you —
integrate you gladly into the very fabric of my being.

What? What is that you say?
You are the intimate friend of my Savior Jesus?
You found your discriminating way into His life?
His hands, His feet, His brow, His side are marked by your presence?
His heart, too, wears your brand?

Oh wound — precious wound. Forgive me, for I did not understand.
It is you that gave my Master the privilege of suffering for me.
By you I was forgiven and healed, in Him.
So I must welcome you, beloved wound.

Yes, make yourself a part of me.
Offer your touch to the hurting world around me,
that they too may see your wonder —
and know your healing grace.

Oh wound, you are my enigma.
But you are my friend.
Without warning you came.
Now, without question — please, please — stay.

© 1999, 2010 by Daniel Henderson

This e-devotion was adapted from Chapter 10 of the book Defying Gravity – How to Survive the Storms of Pastoral Ministry by Moody Publishers. To order your copy, or a copy for a spiritual leader you know, visit our website at www.strategicrenewal.com.

Copyright © 2010 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.

Truth That Helps Us Soar

(This devotion was adapted from Chapter Three of the book Defying Gravity – How to Survive the Storms of Pastoral Ministry. We think you will find it encouraging and applicable to your life as you seek to embrace the value of God's Word in providing fresh perspective and practical help in the midst of life's storms.
To order a copy of this book, go to: http://tiny.cc/x0xZu

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In the course of daily living, all of us experience deep disappointments, hurts, and setbacks. Some eventually lose altitude and crash for lack of the powerful and objective guidance and strength of God’s Word. Others learn to trust in the things that are true, reliable, and authoritative as revealed in the Bible. They tend to “soar” through the power of applied truth.

The Hope and Help of the Scriptures

Biblical leaders boldly affirm the powerful encouragement and endurance they receive from the truth of God’s Word – in both Old and New Testaments.

We are all familiar with the incredible trials and perplexities Job encountered. In the midst of his pain, Job affirmed his source of strength: “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Jeremiah, “the weeping prophet” who carried many burdens and endured incredible afflictions, still declared, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). Treasure. Nourishment. Joy. Affirmation of our calling. These are only a few of the powerful benefits of the truth.

Hope and healing always flow from the power of God’s Word to the heart of a leader. Over and over in Psalm 119 the writer affirms the practical help of scriptural guidance with words like, “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:114) and “I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:14). Psalm 130:5 echoes the same conviction: “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.” Psalm 107:20 speaks of the sinful rebellion of Israel in the desert but then declares, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”

The New Testament speaks often of the effectiveness of the Scriptures to work powerfully in our lives (1 Thessalonians 2:13) by transforming our minds (Romans 12:2), revealing our deepest issues (Hebrews 4:12), correcting wrong thoughts (Titus 1:9), causing us to grow (1 Peter 2:2), and keeping us strong (1 John 2:14). Romans 15:4 offers encouragement to leaders about the helpfulness of the Word: “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”

Getting Out of the Truthless Tailspin
Yet, we have to be honest and admit that most Christian leaders who have experienced a disastrous crash have not lacked Bible knowledge. Some of the nation’s greatest preachers have produced the most disconcerting scandals. Clearly, it is not mere Bible knowledge that produces the power to stay on course and in flight. Rather, it is a consistent and authentic application of the knowledge to the mind, heart, and life. Even Christian leaders can become “hearers” rather than “doers” and deceive their own hearts as they sit among the commentaries and study guides of their Christian library.

As a pastor for over 25 years, I have experienced countless moments when the truth has infused my life with hope, wisdom, and resolve. I’ve also had my share of “dry” seasons where I am going through the motions – staring at the gauge of truth and feeling like it is not helping me in my leadership flight. What do we do to keep our interaction with God’s revelation to our hearts fresh and vibrant?

Evaluating the Soil – All four Gospels present Jesus telling the story of the sower and the soil. Without getting into all of the meanings and application, we can agree on the basic principle that quality soil is essential to spiritual fruit, springing from the seed of God’s Word. What was once fruitful, and had the potential of bearing fruit thirty-fold, becomes unfruitful because of a misguided focus of the heart. I believe that for a Christian leader, the “cares,” “deceitfulness,” and “desires” that damage the fertile soil of the soul are issues like busyness, distraction, fatigue, overwork, and hurry. Soon these manifest in neglect and superficiality as we interact with the truth. We are losing altitude but the gauge of truth has been clouded over by a driven, disheveled life.

Recalibrating Spiritual Hunger – If our soil inspection reveals these troubles, I have found there is great need for a recalibration of hunger. One of my great regrets in ministry is that I have never taken a true sabbatical (which is especially crazy when I look back at the unusual and intense assignments God has placed upon me). But I have found the value of periodic retreats that included several days of solitude, silence, fasting, prayer, and massive doses of reading.

I have found that spiritual hunger and physical hunger are opposites. Physically, when you are hungry and you eat – you become satisfied or “full” as we say it. When you are hungry and you do not eat, you become hungrier (and probably grumpy). Spiritually, it works in reverse. When you are hungry and you eat, your appetite increases. When you are hungry and you don’t eat, you become satisfied and your passion for the Word wanes. That is why we sometimes need a recalibration – where we get away and just “feast.”

Beyond a “Tool of the Trade” – Those in full-time vocational service can easily be “in the Word” without the Word being in them. The Bible simply becomes a means to the end of saying something witty and insightful at the next event or church service.

As I speak to Christian leaders across the nation I remind them that the easiest thing to do these days is to preach a clever sermon or present a compelling lesson. All we need in today’s world is the right downloads, memberships to on-line resources, and a couple video clips tailor-made by some company for our subject of the day. But I warn that, in the long run, the PROCESS is much more important than the PRODUCT. It is the process of “laboring in word and doctrine” (1 Timothy 5:17) that shapes character, out of which a life-changing message flows.
God’s Word must work in us before it can work in others. We’ve heard the adage many times: “A sermon prepared in the mind reaches minds. A sermon prepared in the heart reaches hearts. A sermon prepared in the life reaches lives.”

Welcoming Evaluation – During a conversation on this subject, mission leader Hans Finzel noted that the honest and consistent inquiry of a few close friends helps him to stay on track in his engagement with God’s Word. He notes, “We all need some friends who will question, prod, and encourage us in our consistency in staying in God’s Word. Sometimes it is hard for a wife to rebuke a husband for his waning godliness – but some loving and strong friends can get in our face. I have even found that my grown children inspire me with their love for God’s Word and are free to ask me about mine.”

Whatever it takes, may we each act today to rekindle our hunger and renew our hope as we receive the powerful help provide by God’s unchanging truth.
Copyright © 2010 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.