What Do I Do When They are Caught Between the Stones?

Posted: 12:46 PM
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Author: Jayson Pagan

The movie The Ten Commandments shows a scene where an elderly lady is laboring in the hot sun among the many Hebrew slaves who are being driven to build Pharoah's kingdom at record speed. The elderly lady is greasing the ropes being used to set the monstrous stones in place and the hem of her clothing gets stuck between the joints. The stone moves in to crush her. The Hebrews are yelling for the work to halt to prevent the woman's death. The slave-drivers see her, turn their heads to the horror, and demand the work goes on. Her blood will become the mortar between the stones. This kingdom must be built at whatever expense - it matters not. Well, it is good to know that Joshua swings down a rope from nearby and opens the way for the salvation of this woman at his own cost. He was willing to bring the whip of Egypt upon his back to ensure the preservation of someone other than himself. A true comparison of the difference between worldly leaders and godly leaders. Who are you more interested in preserving - Yourself or others? Do you look at others as facilitators of your work, leadership, and life, mere slaves, or do you see them as people you must serve, protect, and sacrifice for to see their potential maximized and futures changed?

I must ensure that I do not prioritize my self-preservation at the expense of others'.

When I develop solutions, look at the lives of others, endeavor to influence and lead, I MUST NOT HAVE A ME-FIRST MINDSET. Decision making is not about ME. It is first about God and then about the other person. God will take care of me if I will serve Him and others first.

Peter grabbed the sword and sliced Malchus' ear from his head. He did it for self-preservation. He could never grasp that things were going to change. He feared that change - so he made a last ditch attempt to stop it instead of trusting Jesus' own words.

What if his self-preserving plight had worked? What if he had stopped the soldiers and the crucifixion? We would never have never known the power of the cross, the forgiveness of sins, the glory of the resurrection, the birth of the church, the saving of the world would have been halted. This is what self-preservation does - it stops everything and everyone from building, developing, or moving forward for any other kingdom than the one you are building. Peter did what he did thoroughly convinced that it was the right thing to do. Self-preservation is contrary to true leadership.

I can view change as a threat or an opportunity. If a new minister is added to our staff at church I can look at it as a threat to my turf or I can view it as an opportunity to build a better team.

If I am fighting for my own rights as a leader. If I have to battle for turf. If I have to manipulate people. I do all of this because my leadership is not growing and I am endeavoring to gain ground by other ways rather than for my leadership speaking for itself. I am losing my merit and I am trying to make up the difference in other ways.

If I view change as a threat to me. If I am insecure about who I am as a leader. If I am not growing personally and spiritually. If I fear new realities. If I feel incompetent....then eventually, I will begin to show signs of arrogance. I will begin to fight for my territory. I will begin to do whatever it takes to preserve me, myself, and I.

People are all around me needing me to let them go. I must spend more time serving and aiding the people I lead. By defaul, men build their own kingdoms - and quite frankly, I am guilty of it myself. The kingdom of God will be enlarged if I can enlarge the people. I have to get rid of my self-preservation. As long as I am focussed on me I cannot be focussed on them.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Self-interest is the enemy of all affection." and General George S. Patton said in his writing A Soldier's Prayer, "Strengthen my soul so that the weakening instinct of self-preservation, which besets all of us in battle, shall not blind me to my duty to my own manhood, to the glory of my calling, and to my responsibility to my fellow soldiers."

Serving and Giving do not come automatically to most people. You will have to purposefully and actively find a way to build, love, and grow other people. You take care of others and God will take care of you.