Stop the Strive! Who’s Your Driver? Values or Results?

I have a confession to make. As I sit down to write this post, I am struck by the uncanny timing of what I had planned to write and the whispers that swirled around my mind this morning before I even got out of bed. 

Last month’s post was about striving and surrender, and I had planned to write about values-based vs. results-based work today. And yet, as I worked up the energy to get myself out of bed this morning for yet another packed day of house, family, and ministry responsibilities, I found myself thinking Would it hurt to just throw in the proverbial towel? How much longer can I keep this up? I’m so tired, and all these ideas are just crazy anyway.  

I’ve been church planting. Not with a traditional method, and not with a template that even mimics traditional. It sounds great and exciting. And it is (usually). It’s also a LOT of work (and why I have been falling behind on social posts—sorry!). And so, this morning, after a discouraging local outreach bust this past weekend with materials STILL piled up in the corner of my formal dining room area, multiple videos to edit and upload, more content to plan, and wondering how in the world anyone finds a way to promote and grow a church nowadays with the constant content stream through reels, shorts, and memes that becomes almost overwhelming, I laid in bed and thought All of this is just crazy. But then… 

I went downstairs and one of my push notifications was something about small seeds and a big kingdom. And then I was scheduled (Saturday actually, so, late again—sorry!) to write this post. A post about values-driven work vs. results-based work. Results-based work would tell me You ARE crazy. What impact are you having anyway? Values-based work tells me You are being faithful to what God created you to do. It’s not about seeing results right now—which are nice—it’s about honoring what God spoke into your heart. You are on a journey, and that’s just as important as any end destination.  

Even as I typed that, I reminded myself that yes, destinations are fun and results feel good in the moment, but what’s REALLY important is loving God with every breath I have, and if that means continuing to build what He commissioned me to build, then so be it. Maybe for you reading this today, you’re not commissioned to build a new model of faith community, but you are being nudged by His Spirit to step out of your comfort zone to share His message of hope with someone else; the possibilities are endless. Whatever it is, DO IT! Follow His lead, because His journeys may never be comfortable, but they do lead to some pretty amazing places, and remember, the journey is every bit as valuable (and maybe more so?) than the destination and remembering that helps us stay in and savor the present instead of constantly pushing for the next. And actually, I’d even argue that if we are without faithfulness, integrity, honor, faith, and LOVE through the journey, we will probably never get to God’s destination for us. And so, no towel throwing. Actually, I think I might need that towel to wipe up the sweat as I dig deep to take the next few steps for Him.