What Matters Most?

As leaders, we deeply desire to follow God's will for our life and ministry, and to advance the Kingdom of God. We want to leave a legacy of transformed lives. However, in the busyness of the ministry we can easily lose focus and be side-tracked into areas that do not contribute towards this vision. If we desire to be effective leaders, those who fulfil the Father's will, we need to have a clear grasp of the legacy that we wish to leave. This next exercise is a step towards discovering the unique role he has for us.

Imagine for a moment that you are going to the funeral of a close friend or relative. In your mind's eye, see yourself going to the funeral parlour or chapel, parking the car, and getting out.  As you walk inside the building, you notice the flowers, the soft organ music.  You see the faces of friends and family you pass along the way.  You feel the shared sorrow of losing, the joy of having known, that radiates from the hearts of the people there.

As you walk down to the front of the room and look inside the casket, you suddenly come face to face with yourself.  This is your funeral, three years from today.  All these people have come to honour you, to express feelings of love and appreciation for your life.

As you take a seat and wait for the service to begin, you look at the programme in your hand.  There are to be four speakers.  The first one is from your family. The second speaker is one of your friends, someone who can give a sense of who you were as a person.  The third speaker is from your work or profession.  And the fourth is from the church in which you serve. Now think deeply. What would you want each of these speakers to say about you and your life? Before you go any further, write down your thoughts.

Take some time to look through the thoughts that you have noted. Almost certainly, you will find that these are areas of primary importance in your life. Almost certainly these things relate more to who you are, rather than what you do.

An exercise like this can help us to pause and reflect on what is truly important to us.  In order to leave the legacy that we truly desire, we need to ensure that we are investing in the areas that matter most to us. Jesus was a leader who knew what mattered most: doing the will of His Father. He was also a leader who was actively involved in those areas, not side-tracked by other priorities, expectations or desires. Our effectiveness as leaders is ultimately determined by the legacy that we leave behind, the people that we have influenced, the lives that have been transformed, the situations that have been changed.