The Falling Hedgehog
In the spring of 1997 I married my college sweetheart Naomi. Like many newlyweds, our first few months were spent learning new an interesting details about your spouse. Not long into our second month, Naomi shared that she had a hedgehog by the name of Loofa, which she was keeping at her classroom at the school she taught in during the time. Due to classrooms being moved, she now needed to bring Loofa home, and I was now the proud co-owner of a hedgehog! Hedgehog, what is a hedgehog anyway? Somewhere between a porcupine and a prairie dog Loofa our hedgehog loomed.
One night my wife grabbed Loofa out of his cage and began to play with him. Not long into the time he began to squirm and jump out of my wives arms. Like most good husbands, I reacted, immediately reaching out to catch Loofa before this little rodent hit the ground. Wow!!!!! I caught it. And immediately screamed. What seemed like a good idea ended in my hand having approximately 30 little quills pierce my skin. It burned to say the least. Naomi laughed and said, “He’s really good at protecting himself.”
This past week while reading Good To Great by Jim Collins I was reminded of a principle known as the Hedgehog Concept. While first reading this book almost ten years ago, I was struck by the concept of how a hedgehog is so suited for defending itself from a fox in its natural setting. The hedgehog doesn’t try to be another animal or use other defenses, it simply leans hard into what it was made for and is ultimately good at. While reading Collins again this past week, I began to ask myself as to how I would respond to the questions in each of the three circles. As well as, am I currently leaning hard into each of these three areas with my current role, job and ministry position?
Three Circles… One Passion…
What you are deeply passionate about… I have come to realize in recent years that I am deeply passionate about Spiritual Formation and its relation to us as individuals as well as the church. Richard Rohr in his book, “Falling Upward” speaks of a life which can be lived undivided. A life which captures internal soul development intertwined simultaneously with external practice of care and loving our neighbors as ourselves. These concepts get me out of bed in the morning.
What you can be the best in the world at… When speaking with mentors, I am consistently affirmed in three primary areas. These three areas are shepherding, care giving and teaching. In each of these areas, I sense living out my passion through spiritual formation principles combined with one of these three skill set areas, would begin the process of playing into my sweet spot.
What drives your economic engine… I sense my future has something to do with caring for the souls of ministry leaders who are in need of soul care. With the current state of the Western church, pressures from a digital society and non formational models being pushed in droves, young ministry leaders between the ages of 25 and 32 are burning out and leaving the ministry never to return. It seems plausible with such an epidemic would provide work in this area of formational soul care for a season of my life.
Catching the Hedgehog…
That night while catching the hedgehog I realized that he was perfectly designed to protect himself, and that I was perfectly designed not to catch him. I pray over time I will come to the same conclusions as to what I am made for as well as not made for in the kingdom.
What have you been created for?
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