Gifted for Leadership

I've recently added a new section to my blog. The name is sort of cheesy, but it's a list of women bloggers who I admire for their leadership in ministry-and being able to blog about it! The blog list is called "Girl Power Blogs." Check out some of the blogs if you're a woman reading this who feels that she's called into leadership and/or ministry of some kind.

One of my favorite blogs to check into is a blog for women who are Gifted for Leadership, hence the name of the blog. The blog is currently focusing on a 14-Day Devotional Journal for women, if you're interested in checking it out for yourself, you can download the devotional for FREE by clicking here and follow the prompts!

Today's "devo" was called the "Antidote to Over achievement." I immediately was hooked. Here's a short passage that spoke to me from the devotional:

• It's so easy as leaders to go, go, go and do, do, do. But God is calling us to be, be, be. To-do lists, bullet points, and check marks have their place, but when it comes to your spiritual life, you need to toss an“achievement” mindset into the garbage and spend some time in God’s presence simply being the real you.

I then read this post on the leadership blog, and I couldn't believe the similarities between its author and myself:

• Did you feel like Sally had you in mind when she wrote today’s devotion? I sure did. As soon as I read her introduction to today’s devotion, I felt like this could be a prophetic nudge from the Lord about an all-too-familiar topic. Because, you see, I’ve always been someone who wants to be not only good at things, but distinctively the best. I’m naturally driven and inquisitive, and find peace in lists and accomplishments. My default is please others and follows the rules. This propensity to overachieve easily went in to hyper-drive when it came to school. In fact, the only intentionally disobedient thing I remember doing in elementary school was to sneak into the forbidden teacher’s lounge and steal extra homework from the recycling bins. Later in high school, I took high-level classes and worked hard for straight A’s. When people at church told me God would take care of all my needs, I would sneer, “Oh yeah? God’s going to write this paper for me?”Clearly, I have problems. While my parents praised my grades, they knew that I sometimes let stress rob me of confidence in God and ultimately of my submission to him. One day, I found a note on my bedroom desk. During his morning devotional time, my dad had been praying for me and felt strongly about Titus 3:14, which says: “Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.” Dad jotted me a note (below) which simply reads, “Titus 3:14. Live this out and let the grades fall where they may.” I think he knew that my perfectionism was breeding self-centered anxiety instead of concern for other people. He was telling me that true productivity happens when we love others like God loves them. And he was enabling me to be free from a bondage to over achievement. For me, this verse and memory are what Sally refers to as “antidotes to over achievement.” Like her, I think prayer and meditation – taking the time to refocus and let God get a word in – are invaluable solutions to anxiety. When I really open myself to God in prayer, I begin to feel so small compared to him…and it’s wonderful. That insurmountable task doesn’t necessarily solve itself while I pray, but God gives me the ability to see its importance for what it really is: not very. Do you ever feel this way when you pray? (Hollie Baker-Lutz)

Needless to say, I'll be posting Titus 3:14 on my desk. I'm also not ending this devotional nor blog reading any time soon. I'm finally beginning to feel some clarity about understanding who I am, why I feel gifted in leadership, and how, even as a leader-I'm to focus on "being" rather than "going" and "doing."