Good leaders are organized and have healthy boundaries. But have we segmented portions of our lives that God never meant to be separated? Let’s take a look.
1. Worship. Truth be told, I viewed worship as something that was relegated to a Sunday morning. In 1998, when God led me to bring worship into the work setting, I was reluctant. And wrong. Creative worship has become a treasured, daily part of our corporate alignment with God.
2. Discerning prayer. By discerning prayer, I mean prayer for the purpose of gleaning God’s direction for the ministry. I used to believe this was best done as I holed up with God on my own. Again, so wrong. I’ve learned that discerning prayer is most productive when done in conjunction with ministry colleagues.
3. Relational community. This is the phrase we use at our ministry to describe authentic, vulnerable relationships as coworkers who want to grow together in the Lord. I used to think I should develop intimate relationships outside of work, and keep work relationships professional. I’ve learned that God’s design for Christian ministries is relationships that are both professional and deeply personal.
4. Mission participation. I used to think my contribution to our mission—championing the gospel and the sacredness of life—was providing vision and leadership so our staff and volunteers could interact with clients effectively. When I left the office each evening, my ministry was accomplished for the day. Ha! How shortsighted! Jesus loves people 24/7 and He calls us to too. I now know my ministry includes seeing, valuing, and interacting with people—planting seeds of the gospel—24/7.
Consider the segmentation within your own life and leadership. Start with the four areas I’ve listed above.
1. Does worship characterize your corporate interaction with God, within your ministry?
2. Are you inviting others into the discernment process?
3. Are you appropriately vulnerable with your colleagues? Are you fostering deeper relational connections among your staff?
4. Are you personally living out the core mission of your ministry?
5. Is God nudging you about others areas you’ve segmented?
Call it sanity, call it safety, or call it selfishness—when leaders compartmentalize their lives they short-circuit God’s plan. But when we allow God to draw new boundaries, we experience a free-flowing, fullness of His beauty throughout our ministries and lives. Eden comes to mind.
“Call it sanity, call it safety, or call it selfishness—when leaders compartmentalize their lives they short-circuit God’s plan.”
- Lisa Hosler
“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isa.58:11).
Has God taken something you used to compartmentalize, and brought it into the 24/7 flow of your life and leadership? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.
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