{"id":31042,"date":"2023-02-13T08:27:06","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T16:27:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=31042"},"modified":"2023-02-13T08:27:06","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T16:27:06","slug":"endurance-character-and-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/endurance-character-and-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Endurance, Character and Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

I admit that I was not looking forward to reading Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership<\/em> by Eve Poole. I figured it would be yet another book on leadership that doesn\u2019t really apply to me because I don\u2019t hold a traditional leadership role.<\/p>\n

Then Poole opens with a reference to Goya and his portrait of the Duke of Wellington.[i]<\/a> My interest is piqued.<\/p>\n

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>[ii]<\/a><\/p>\n

Is this guy the very model of a modern Major-General or what? But, war-hero though he may be, he doesn\u2019t solve my leadership problem because I am nothing like him. I still do not have a typical \u201cleader-y\u201d role. I certainly don\u2019t have that many medals.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Poole doesn\u2019t conclude that piles of military honors equate to leadership skill. In her Tedx Talk, she starts reading from Romans 5:3-4. \u201cWe\u00a0rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering\u00a0produces endurance,\u00a0and endurance produces character, and character produces hope\u2026\u201d Now she has my attention. A leadership schema that teaches us to rejoice in our hardships? This is not something I\u2019ve heard before.<\/p>\n

As it turns out, Poole\u2019s theological education continues to shine through her work while interweaving a solid grounding in neurobiology. Using the example of Claude Monet, she talks about stages of learning. Early on, Monet\u2019s paintings resembled those of his contemporaries at the Salon. Only as he grew and developed as a painter was he able to give the world \u201chaystacks and Giverny\u201d as Poole puts it.[iii]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0[iv]<\/a><\/p>\n

Poole is talking about leaders following an apprenticeship program of sorts, but I couldn\u2019t stop thinking about our spiritual growth. Some of my earliest memories are of copying others as they prayed, worshipped, memorized Scripture. As I grew up, my faith was very real to me but when it came to the nuts and bolts, I was still just copying what I saw. When I was probably 11 or so, I participated for the first time in the Maundy Thursday Love Feast which included a symbolic foot-washing. I remember my mom talking me through what to expect, but basically her advice boiled down to \u201cJust watch what the person next to you is doing and do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

By God\u2019s grace, I\u2019ve moved far beyond that copy-and-paste faith. My current worship practice bears little resemblance to the tradition I grew up in. \u00a0With the help of the Holy Spirit, I am able to live out my faith in a way that is genuinely my own and can contribute something unique to this world. Thanks be to God!<\/p>\n

The connections between leadership development and theology don\u2019t stop there. Poole also addresses character development, calling it the \u201cacquisition of a skill like any other.\u201d I\u2019m still trying to wrap my head around this. Is exercising faith, hope and love, among others, really just like practicing the piano?<\/p>\n

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>[v]<\/a><\/p>\n

If I apply this to my current ministry, what are the virtues or areas of character that I would like to develop? Sacrificial hospitality, a willingness to be interrupted and graciously handling conflict come to mind. What would it look like to \u201cpractice\u201d in these areas?<\/p>\n

Maybe this is what Paul is getting at in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. \u201cDo you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.\u00a0 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.\u201d\u00a0 Eric Wakeling calls it \u201csuffering on purpose\u201d.[vi]<\/a> Most people call it discipline.<\/p>\n

The final area I want to highlight is Poole\u2019s discussion of service to the point of burn-out, especially in the name of faith. She says, \u201cI know some clergy who think that their job is to use themselves up in service of others. It has even got a fancy theological name – kenosis, or self-emptying. But I think this is a confusion and, at its worst, it has a lot more to do with ego than with selflessness. Yes, you are special and unique, but other people are also special and unique and are also called to serve, whether in the religious life, through volunteering, or through their work or caring.”[vii]<\/a> Without naming any names, I might know someone who is guilty of this. Yes, obviously, I mean me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0[viii]<\/a><\/p>\n

I struggle to find the balance between self-sacrifice in humility while still maintaining some semblance of boundaries and emotional health. Christ emptied himself and even gave up his life, yet we also see that during his 3 years of public ministry he did not heal every single person he encountered. This is a real point of tension for me in this current season. Any words of wisdom are very welcome!<\/p>\n

In an attempt to weave my thoughts together, I\u2019ll return to Romans 5. Life and leadership are not meant to be easy. The challenges and the \u201cstruggles produce endurance,\u00a0and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.\u201d And hope is something I can hold on to.<\/p>\n

_______________________<\/p>\n

[i]<\/a>\u00a0 Poole, Eve. Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2017. 7.<\/p>\n

[ii]<\/a> Francisco de Goya, The Duke of Wellington, 1814, Oil on mahogany, The National Gallery in London, accessed February 13, 2023, https:\/\/www.nationalgallery.org.uk\/paintings\/francisco-de-goya-the-duke-of-wellington<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[iii]<\/a> Poole, Eve. Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2017. 65.<\/p>\n

[iv]<\/a> Claude Monet, Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies, <\/em>1899, Oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, accessed February 13, 2023, https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/437127<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[v]<\/a> Italian (Umbrian) Painter, The Theological Virtues: Faith, Charity, Hope, <\/em>ca. 1500, Tempura and gold on wood, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, accessed February 13, 2023, https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/436761<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[vi]<\/a> Wakeling, Eric. God Joy: Finding Freedom from Guilt and Strength in Suffering.<\/em> Santa Ana: Calvary Church, 2022.<\/p>\n

[vii]<\/a> Poole, Eve. Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2017. 31.<\/p>\n

[viii]<\/a> Menczel, Linda Saskia, Kenosis Sculpture, 2017, Bronze on bronze. Accessed February 13, 2023, https:\/\/www.saatchiart.com\/art\/Sculpture-Kenosis\/770159\/3524365\/view<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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