I was watching a Rob Bell Nooma video yesterday. It was entitled Rhythm, and was about being in rhythm - in tune - with God. He said, "It's not a matter of whether we're playing or not. We are always playing. It's a matter of whether we're playing in tune!"
What a wonderful metaphor for leadership. We're always leading. It's always visible, whether or not we want it to be. Are we in tune with our values, our principles? Are we in tune with God's perfect plan for our lives and our leadership?
Sometimes leadership is just so easy. Sometimes it's just fun! Sometimes it's incredibly hard. Does it mean we're in tune with God when it's easy? I don't think so. Sometimes it's hard because we are stepping into a place where God needs us to be - to make waves. To cause dissonance that's needed in order to move a person, team, or organization forward.
That's what Jesus did, isn't it? He came and caused dissonance, so that we could learn who God truly is and who God truly wants us to be. He taught us new ideas, new theology, that could only have sounded, to the average person, like a group of musicians completely off key from one another. But as we listen and learn ever more deeply about God and His character, values, principles - we begin to tune ourselves, and our leadership, to Him. As we listen and learn, our ear to His good and perfect will becomes trained and our pitch becomes ever more perfect. Our actions change, and we begin to feel God's beat as a continual rhythm in our hearts - guiding our lives and our leadership in the most beautiful music ever.
Whenever I hear beautiful music from now on, I will think about being in tune with God.
