The startling crack of a
branch in the deep darkness of the woods stopped me in my tracks. I was halfway
down the trail toward the lodge without a flashlight. Darkness had long
engulfed me after leaving my cabin. I was trusting the feel of path beneath my
feet and the presence of the tree trunks to guide me where I needed to go.
I could hear my heart
pounding. It was trying to keep up with my racing mind. Funny how the mind
creates all sorts of scenarios when partial information needs the cracks to be filled
up! I had only heard the day before that a prisoner had escaped incarceration
from a nearby prison. Of course, not knowing whether or not that person had
been apprehended, my mind just knew that the escapee was nearby in the
pitch-black, mysterious darkness just out of my reach.
Vulnerability and fear reached
up and grabbed me by the neck. I was momentarily immobilized, not know which
was to go…either forward or backward! A decision had to be made quickly. Was
the trip forward worth it, or was it wise and prudent to retreat?
Originally, my main reason for
going to the main lodge was just to
check in and interact with the other counselors after a long hard day. It had
been a Friday, after a long week with 5th and 6th grade
boys, where we capped everything off with some pretty fun stuff. Like water
balloon fights. Like pie eating contests. And then, late evening swinging of
newly cut grapevines over the ravine behind our cabin.
Was my reason for going to the
lodge strong enough to make me push through my fear? No! I sheepishly retreated
back to my cabin. I noticed that with my first glimpse of the porch light at my
cabin, my fears began to subside proportionately to the steps I had left in
order to make it there! Fortunately, the boys in my cabin were asleep and I did
not have to answer any inquiries about where I had been and why my trip had
been so short.
After this episode I really
appreciated the picture or illustration used by the apostle Paul when he
encourages disciples of Jesus “to walk as
children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Simply put, to walk this way means to
imitate God and Christ in one’s life.
How does one imitate God? How
does one imitate Christ? Pretty tall order, don’t you think?!
This life of imitation (walking in the light) means that I learn
to love as God loves. It also means I am careful how I talk to others and about
others. It means I do not walk with others and follow others into the darkness.
I remember one time as a young
person hearing my grandmother say, “Nothing good happens after dark!” It was a
way of making sure we would be in the house before dark. Under cover of
darkness things happen that should not.
Why should I strive to walk in
light? Here is Paul’s rationale: “for the
fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true” (Ephesians
5:9).
Good. Right. True. What a
wonderful trilogy! But this three-fold fruit of virtues is not easily won. Paul
is clear here: it comes from spiritual discernment. Am I able to make a clear
and decisive choice in my life about what is good? What about what is right?
And, what about those things that are true?
Good. Goodness. Light is good!
It certainly was good for me at during that late-night scamper back to the cabin.
Such “goodness” is also identified by Paul as a fruit of the Spirit. There is a
tendency by those who are short-sighted to make fun of anything good. But
goodness is at the heart of a daily way of life that keeps God at the center!
Right. Righteousness. This is
the work of God on our behalf and through us. We become the flashlight of God’s
presence in a world of darkness where people are lost and cannot find their way
back to their cabins. If I am living “right,” then I am a living, tangible moral
GPS for others who need directions. The way the apostle Paul talks about
righteousness is to make sure we know it is a process and direction.
True. Truthfulness.
Authenticity. We find out that grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. The
astounding thing about Jesus as risen Lord is that he embodied what was true.
Philosophers for centuries have debated about truth and its nature. Jesus was and is truth in his very nature. I want to be true in my relationship
commitments, and I want to be truthful in what I say. This kind of faithful and
authentic life of commitment is what our society is starving for!
I especially think of how our society
is starving for transformational Christian leaders who take this stuff
seriously. Leaders who are good. Leaders who are right. Leaders who are true.
Where have they all gone?
Leaders who are good. Actually
the word “goodness” (ἀγαθωσύνῃ)
is
used which is a noun. We are not talking about a description of leaders
(“good” in this case would be an adjective describing some characteristic of a
leader). We are talking about a state of being, the essence of leaders. That “goodness”
comes from God. Leaders who are God-centered, God-focused, God-caring and who
understand the sovereign activity of God as a “Heart-knower.” Transformational
leaders above all things are concerned with matters of the heart!
Leaders who are right.
Actually the word “righteousness” (δικαιοσύνῃ) is used which is a noun. We are not talking about a
description of leaders (“right” in this case would be an adjective describing
an essential characteristic of leader who makes right choices). We are talking
here about a state of being, the essence of leaders. This “righteousness” has
to do with our right standing before God. It is not based on our performance
nor is it based on our behavior. It is based on the gift of Christ as the cross
who paid it all for us. “In all righteousness” means God’s work in the leader’s
life. Transformational leaders above all
things are concerned with their and others’ standing before God and how Christ
has made it right!
Leaders who are true. Actually
the word “true”( ἀληθείᾳ) is used as a noun. We are not talking about
whether a leader is true or a fake (“true in this case would be an adjective
describing, once again, an essential characteristic of a leader who is trying
to be authentic). Rather, we are talking about Christian transformational
leaders who embody the truth of Jesus. Jesus’ early claim in the gospel of John
that “I am the way, the truth, and the life” was a claim that astounded
everyone around him. Philosophers, religious leaders, etc. had all been on a
search for the way, the truth, and what life was all about. However, Jesus
embodied all three. Any and all searches end with him. He is the truth.
Christian leaders in a deep and authentic way are indeed the embodiment of
truth as much as is humanly possible.
When my oldest daughter was
very young (probably around 4 or 5), one evening she wanted to accompany me to
my woodshop where I desperately needed to finish a project on time. As we
walked out the back porch to head in that direction, I noticed that the back
porch light was out. We were going to have to make the trip to the shed in the
dark. My daughter instantly grabbed my hand, and looked up at me and said, “I
am not afraid, Daddy, I am holding your hand!” The wood project in the shop was
overshadowed by a powerful lesson to my heart that was “out of the mouth of
babes!”
May we walk as children of the
light, Christian transformational leaders, trying to discern what is pleasing to the
Lord! In this kind of walk, we offer light to those in darkness. We are, through Christ, walking in the light
wherein is all goodness, righteousness and truth!
In Christian love, Curtis
