Do you ever wonder how to be truly content? More importantly, how can we, as young men, be truly content and at peace with God’s will for our lives while still being the hard-charging, decision-making leaders we are called to be? It’s one of the most difficult challenges of our lives, guys: we have been called by God to step forward, to lead from the front, where the decisions are the hardest, and yet at the same time, we’re also called to be submissive (yes, I said submissive) to the will of God, and obedient to His orders.
Look at it this way: the responsibilities of leadership (regardless of whether or not you have a wife and kids) are given to us by God. They were delegated. Delegated responsibility is responsibility that belongs to somebody else, but is given to you and me. In other words, God looked around and said “I want somebody to take over this project for Me… How about you?” The project that God has given us is evangelizing the world and raising the next generation of Christians. Without submitting to the will of God, and being obedient to His direction, we won’t be good workers on this project: It’s God’s project, not ours, and He’s the only one who understands it completely, but He has given us all a crucial role to play in it.
A few years ago, my family helped some friends from church frame in their house. They had gotten a professional builder to put up all the exterior walls and roof and such, but they wanted to do the interior work themselves, with the aid of anybody who would help them. So we launched right in, nailing up random boards, and sawing sheets of plywood that we’d guessed would probably be the right length and then…
No we didn’t. Of course, the first thing any of us did was to look at the blueprints for the house. Without understanding those drawings of what was supposed to go where, the house would have been a disaster by the time we’d finished. It’s the same way with our relationship to God, men. We’re the workers that He’s hired to build His kingdom. We’re the construction crew that’s going to build the house according to the Architect’s design. If we follow His plans, then the house will be beautiful, but if we just start wading in without consulting the plans first, it’ll be a disaster.
So, if you struggle like I do, with balancing your drive to get out there and build the house with your desire to take over and do things the way you think they should be done, remember these two things: First, remember that God is the One that’s designed the work to be done, and the part we play in His work is determined by how closely we follow His design. Would you hire a construction crew that couldn’t follow a blueprint?
Second, don’t forget that, while God has provided the design, He expects us to do the work! A blueprint won’t keep the rain or snow off of you, it won’t keep you warm, and you can’t park any cars in a picture of a garage. Once God has shown us His will, He expects us to do it!
Written by Jonathan Ely. For more articles by Jonathan, check out his site: GodBetweenTheLines.com
