A Future Not Our Own
'Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!' _MLK
This is the beautiful tension of a visionary: articulating to the world what's next while remaining grounded in the practical reality of today. It is the vision that drives these individuals, but what separates visionaries from leaders is that leaders have the ability to empower those around them to make a vision, a reality.
A leader is able to recognize that no matter their commitment level, it is only when the vision is grasped by another, and then another, and then another will it have any lasting impact. Otherwise that vision dies with the leader. We don't need to look very far to see the structures that are built around these dynamic visionaries and leaders; and their struggles when they depart.
In an individualistically driven society, where success is more often measured by what I can do over what we can do. Communal success has become the by-product of what I do. For a visionary to lead in such a manner that acknowledges their small role in the greater picture and scope of the vision, take a massive dose of humility.
'Even greater is the love that senses, the love that forgets everything for the other and even sacrifices one's own salvation to bring it to one's family. For 'whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 16:25)' - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Do you have aspirations to lead?
Do you have a vision for the future?
Have you sensed God's whisper of guidance?
If you answered yes to any of these, in many ways you join the long list of individuals who have been brought to top of the mountain to see what lay ahead. The next question is: are you willing to sacrifice your own experience of that future so that someone else might?
In closing, Bishop Ken Untener wrote the following poem after the loss of a friend who was martyred for their work with the poor, may it remind and encourage you today:
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing this.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.(p. 217)
*Unless otherwise noted, the book that is referenced in these posts is from Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Barton.