Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!

During my corporate career and for a large part my ministry "career" I lived by the axiom "lead, follow, or get out of the way." I was the guy in college whose group you didn't want to be in if you were looking to skate by. I remember my last semester at the University of Texas at Dallas. I was in a class where our entire semester consisted of working with the same group of people researching and presenting case studies. During our first meeting I declared with both arrogance and boldness, "We WILL make an A!" I was so very close to graduating with honors and I wasn't about to let that chance slip away. I also didn't want to go through an entire semester with people who weren't ready to put in the work to do well. In the end we made an A and I graduated with honors - the reason this was so important to me is a story for another time. All this means that I don't like to be put in a position of waiting on or following others. I want to be the one out front - leading.

As I read and re-read Exodus 13:17-22 one thing kept coming to mind - God leads, we follow. God's place is out in front - leading. My place? BEHIND God - following. How many times have I got that backwards. Way too many times for sure

If the Israelites wanted to see their promised land, then they had to follow God. It was as simple as that. If I want to see my "other side" - my promised land - then I have to follow God. It's not always easy to do, especially if you're used to living by the saying, "lead, follow, or get out of the way." It's not only my desire to be in front that gets in the way, but so do my emotions. My desires get also gets in the way. My love for the "hurry up" definitely screws up my will to follow. It's not easy, for sure, but that whole "lead, follow, or get out of the way" mentality is lost on God's idea of God leads, I follow. If I try any other way it doesn't work.

Valley experiencers, how many times have you taken your place in front of God. You do know He doesn't follow, He leads? Want to get to your "other side" God must be in front. If you find yourself in front let me encourage you to take time to confess to our Father, our Leader, your arrogance, disobedience, desire to hurry up, giving in to your emotions and desires, or whatever it was that caused you to place yourself in God's rightful place. Then I invite you to sit back and watch God do His thing. Our valleys definitely work for our best when God is allowed to have His place in our lives. So let God lead, you follow, and anything that causes you to reverse that needs to get out of the way!

Fumbling and Following,
Mike