What is the most common first question you ask when you meet someone for the first time? Think about it…it might vary a little, but a random poll this last month left me with an overwhelming percentage of people asking…”So, what do you do for a living?” or “Where do you work?” At first, this seemed fairly normal, and well…ok. We typically want to find elements where we might be in common, right? But, after some processing I have come to realize it’s this simple question being first that is revealing some core significance issues.
Ok, so let me expand…because right now you might think I am nuts! Don’t get me wrong, what we do for a living is important…at least I hope it is. The Bible tells us to work 6 days a week, I can not imagine that God intended for us to spend this much time without purpose. However, where the significance issue comes into play is when ”what we do” becomes who we are. Did you catch that? What we do for a living…where me make our money, what we call our job, maybe our ministry, becomes a core issue when it defines who we are.
I call this “Misguided Significance”. Our desire to be significant in this world is fed by what we do for a living, and that starts this dangerous cycle. We quickly then become consumed by feeding this desire and before you know it “what we do” becomes “who we are”. We can learn a few things from Jesus’ words:
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Luke 16:13
16 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 17 Jesus called out to them,“Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”18 And they left their nets at once and followed him. Mark 1:16-18
Is your Misguided Significance wrapped up in money, maybe power or the corner office? What “thing” is defining who you are? Maybe it’s the performer in you that is trying to look great in your boss’ eyes. Maybe it’s driving the right car or SUV to fit in at the country club. Whatever it is, let me tell you…it’s misguided.
Who you are is NOT what you do. We must realize our significance can not come from what we do, it must come from who we really are…in Christ. If we chase the significance of what we do we will sacrifice the critically important parts of our lives, our spouses, our kids, our family, and our relationship with Christ. Our priorities will end up totally out of whack.
As leaders we are even called to a higher standard with this principal.What example are we setting? What do our team members see when they look at our lives as leaders? Are we examples outside of what we do at the office? Again, Jesus nails this topic as well:
1 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! 2 It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. Luke 17: 1-2
But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. Luke 12:48
Wow, the other morning when I read Luke 17:1-2 this jumped off the screen. I had read this many times, and I typically related it to my children…my little ones. However, reading this with a different lens, I now see the importance of this verse to me, as a leader…what example am I setting? A bit convicting!
So, the next time you are tempted let me encourage you to – Stop telling people how great you are at work…while your marriage is falling a part. Stop telling people about your new promotion and raise, while your kids have no real connection with you. Stop telling people about how great you manage your schedule and keep your house together when you can not remember the last time you read your Bible. I once heard TD Jakes put this best…it’s time to stop focusing on being a public success, if you are a private failure.
In closing let me leave you with this:
Give up the dearest, choicest, and apparently most needful thing, if it leads you into sin. (Pleasures which block the road to heaven ought to be given up) The same rule that bids you avoid sin, bids you also avoid all that leads to sin.- Charles Spurgeon
If you can not get your significance under control…if you can not land your priorities in the right order…then it might be about time to make a RADICAL change. Misguided Significance just might be that major block in the road as Spurgeon mentioned.
