Jesus declared, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled” (Luke 12:49). These words carry an intensity that resonates with us as leaders as we shoulder various burdens of vision, strategy, limited resources, personal challenges and beyond. I find it interesting that he also felt the tension of an as-yet-unfulfilled purpose—a longing so deep that Luke records Jesus’ emotions as actual distress (v. 50).
Admittedly, we bear lesser assignments, but we find ourselves in the same place: the tension-producing “not yet” of our work. I’m guessing there are dreams you’re currently dreaming, plans you’re currently planning, and ministries you are currently building that haven’t yet become a reality. That’s inherent in our work. And there’s a certain kind of tension it creates in us as we know what could be but live in the reality of what is.
How we respond to this tension can mean the difference between healthy long-term leadership and severe burnout.
Living on Fumes
I often tell people I feel called to stand at the intersection between “Jet Fuel Drinkers” and “Candle Lighters” and serve as a translator. Jet Fuel Drinkers are the loud, fast-paced, somewhat solitary, somewhat fanatical, focused-on-the-future, Spirit-aware, presence-of-God-sensing leadership types. Candle Lighters, on the other hand, are the quiet, steady-paced, somewhat solitary, somewhat mystical, focused-on-the-now, Spirit-aware, presence-of-God-sensing spiritual formation types.
Let me explain. Our longing for impact can inspire and energize, but it also risks becoming a source of somewhat defensible anxiety and stress. We feel justified or even holy in our discontent. The temptation to push harder, bypass healthy rhythms or adopt manipulative strategies may seem justified in pursuit of noble and even God-given goals. We drink more and more of the jet fuel that pushes us into overdrive and a lifestyle that increasingly puts our own life with God on the altar of productivity and mission achievement. The resulting carnage in our lives, our families and our teams is just a matter of time.
While Jesus felt this tension, he didn’t let it throw his life out of alignment with God. He didn’t become a Jet Fuel Drinker. How often in leadership do we do things Jesus never did and don’t do the things he actually did? No wonder we end up burned out. Our jet-fuel-drinking response to the challenges of ministry leaves us dry and parched, overextended and unempowered. This was not how Jesus lived, nor how anyone around him would have imagined this work being done.
Have you been sneaking a bit of jet fuel off on the side? Just one more podcast on preaching, one more call to a donor, one more night out this week, one more last-minute request to the production team.
We all experience a gap as we anticipate the future but sit in reality. Recently, as I entered my office on a Monday morning, I felt a familiar tightening of the chest as I considered the week ahead. I was tempted, in that moment, to simply push harder and faster, to allow fear, insecurity and drivenness to fuel my activity, setting a destructive trajectory to my entire week.
But I know better. I’ve lit enough candles.
Kingdom First
Instead, I stopped to pause, to sense and name this unsteadiness in my soul and to surrender yet again to God’s good care. In those moments, I felt a choice available to me as I started that week. To remind me of that moment-by-moment, day-by-day choice, I wrote a message on a sticky note to keep on my desk. The note said, “Determine that you will experience the journey with great joy and with great peace. Why? Because of the kingdom within.”
As it turns out, I never glanced at that note again until I finally left the office late Friday afternoon.
Seeing it there caused me to mentally review the many meetings, pressures, decisions, speaking engagements, conflicts and even a pre-dawn visit to the emergency room with my son that occurred this week. As expected, it had been quite a week.
But I’m so glad I had paused at the beginning, noticed my soul’s distress, and determined to keep God’s kingdom in mind. In the end, that week felt like integration. A lot happened, and a lot got accomplished.
And there was joy and there was peace. Projects moved forward, children were loved, desperate prayers were prayed, limits were faced and blessed, and teammates were encouraged. Why? Because of the kingdom.
How about you? How did the reality of the kingdom support you last week? How does it undergird you even now, as you read this? What unsteadiness might you need to notice and then name in your own soul? What would it mean for you to surrender yet again to God’s good care?
That’s the candle-lighting path of a jet-fuel drinker.
A Thriving Soul
Do you resonate with the intense longing for a future you can see that has not yet materialized? Has that gap left you weary, feeling like the constant motion has turned your life into more of a blur? Keeping that inner fire alive to God by cultivating rhythms builds our resilience, no matter what the circumstances. It’s about learning the unforced rhythms of grace.
A thriving soul is anchored in God’s love and undergirded by the reality that his kingdom surrounds, permeates and supersedes everything we see and measure. This frees us to lead with open hands, releasing the anxiety that convinces us the weight of the world rests solely on our shoulders.
Here are three steps you can take today to begin:
1. Take the Soul Health Assessment. At Soul Care, we often ask this simple question: “What is the state of your soul?” Begin with a tangible step toward understanding your soul’s health by taking the assessment at SoulCare.com/assessment.
2. Create space for prayer. Commit to small, intentional practices like 10 minutes of stillness or a brief walk outside, bringing your anxieties to God.
3. Prioritize connection. Take action today to stay meaningfully connected to a friend, mentor or spiritual director who can help share this journey with you.
Let this season be one of renewal. Lay down the heavy weight of self-reliance. Let Jesus hold the weight. Feel the intensity of the assignment, but do not shoulder the weight. His invitation is simple: Follow me. Feed my sheep. And do not worry about your life. Seek first the kingdom. Rest in the care of the Good Shepherd.