Two Questions to Ask During Your Test of Adversity
Real life rarely knocks. It just breaks down the door itching to rumble.
One day I was sitting in our family room with my wife, reading. At one point she heard water running in the basement and asked who was in the basement shower. I said I didn’t know and went back to reading.
Moments later, a stray thought pierced my consciousness, yanking me out of book-land and back into the real world of home ownership: Wait a minute; we don’t have a basement shower!
Running downstairs, I immediately detected that all was not right. I was able to discern this because water was shooting out of one wall like someone had tripped a fire hydrant. It was pretty awesome, actually. I was tempted to just stand there and watch, but then I remembered it was my house.
For some reason, I’d missed the what-to-do-when-pipes-break- and-you-need-to-shut-down-the-water-really-quickly class in high school. It must have been on one of the days I was skipping to indulge in, uh, extracurriculars. The best I could muster in that moment was to run around the house looking for a light switch to throw while screaming, “A pipe has burst, a pipe has burst!”
I think you will understand what I mean when I say, I’m really glad my dad wasn’t there.
Eventually my neighbor heard the commotion and walked in and shut down the water. My neighbor was one of those handy guys who knows how to do everything. Too shut off the water, he simply had to come over and wave his hand, like Yoda. He waved, the water shut off, and I was left standing in my three-inch basement sea wondering when the tide would go out.
If you’ve spent any amount of time in leadership, you’ve probably had moments like this. Unfortunately, such “burst-pipe” moments are usually a lot more difficult to clean up than a basement full of water. These are key moments of testing. I’ve learned to ask a couple of key questions.
What Spills From Me When the Pipes Burst?
How do you respond when the pipe is gushing and your world is becoming messier?
Most of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, don’t respond with godly contentment. We’ve been catechized to believe that life should look different. More Hallmark-ish. We are hardwired, and sadly, sometimes even taught from Scripture, that any setbacks or lack of success is just poor leadership. Or insufficient application. J.I. Packer once wrote, “The world’s idea that everyone, from childhood up, should be able at all times to succeed in measurable ways, and that it is a great disgrace not to, hangs over the Christian community like a pall of acrid smoke” (A Passion for Faithfulness, 206). We need to learn that sometimes leadership and growth requires that we learn the kind of contentment that says, “ I know how to be brought low” (Phil. 4: 12).
Have I Learned to be Brought Low?
Paul found contentment even as life broke down his doors; he learned to be brought low without losing his cool. How? Paul discovered that his contentment wasn’t linked to his dreams being satisfied. It was not based upon where he was or what he was doing. Whether Paul was preaching before King Agrippa or penning letters in prison, he had learned a contentment that was equally satisfied in God. He could enjoy God the same way in plenty or want.
What do you do when dreams and life don’t intersect? When life seems to force you down rather than lift you up? Have you learned to say with Paul, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content”? (Philippians 4:12) If you want to lead for any length of time, you’ll need to discover this secret. Thankfully, it’s not born out of some inner self-sufficiency or the kind of amazing competency displayed by my neighbor. It comes from knowing to whom you belong and recognizing that, whether you are brought low or abounding in this season, our Savior still holds you fast.
Today’s Tenacious Question
Have you had any “burst-pipe” moments in your years of leadership? Think back to one or two of those and reflect on your reactions? What can you learn from those about your source of contentment and how might that help you prepare whatever comes next?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I pray that you would help me come to better know and love you, and that in such knowledge I would learn the secret of contentment to secure me against all the ups and downs of life. Amen.
