How do you define success? Why do you do what you do? Maybe an even better question is what drives you to do what you do? What motivates you to keep going when it gets tough and challenging?
I started in ministry with a love for people. I couldn’t believe what Jesus had done for me and I wanted everyone to know what I knew and live in the freedom that I was living in. The fuel that I lived on in my first five years of ministry was a pure love for people. It didn’t matter to me what I got paid, how I was treated by my boss or other people, I was willing to do whatever I could do to love people. Looking back I sacrificed a lot of things, but in the moment they didn’t seem like sacrifices because I was driven by a love for people.
Since those first five years, I have been challenged many times to think about the currency that drives me to do what I do. Over the years, the currency that motivates me has been fluid. At times the motive to keep going had been out of a fear of failure, a need to financially provide for my family, and even social popularity and influence. Every time a false currency becomes what motivates me, I notice my contentment goes down and my impact decreases. When I allow anything but people become the currency that drives me, I become more controlling, critical, and less loving.
I have had some difficult situations happen in my ministry career. I have had disappointments. I have been hurt. Through those challenging occurrences, I have had the gift of evaluating why I do what I do. There have been times where I had the thought that it might be easier to go into the business world and let making money be the currency that I live by. There have been times in my life where I have been tempted to play it safe and choose to let what people think of me be the leading factor that drives me.
But, when I get time to spend with Jesus, He always tells me that that the currency that drives me will always be loving people. When I love people, I become more of who God made me to be. When I confirm in my spirit that loving people is why I do what I do, the time I spend doing ministry, the money I get paid, the respect I feel I am getting from staff and leaders, doesn’t drive my contentment and satisfaction. When I let a love for people drive me, God does incredible things through me and I am more caring, compassionate, loving.
Leader, please clearly decide what currency drives you – whether in ministry or not. Do the hard and honest work of deciding what drives you. I have met numerous people in ministry who say that serving Jesus is what drives them, but it is easy to tell by their contentment and attitude that it is not true. Leaders, especially in ministry, need to be honest about what drives them so that they can set themselves and the ministries they lead to win. I think it is ok to say money, fear of failure, popularity is the currency you are using to drive you as long as you are willing to admit what kind of ministry that will lead to. When you clearly know what currency drives you, you will be able to adjust your ministry to be as successful as it can with that being the currency.
Leader, I know this is difficult, soul searching work, but I believe if you do this work, you may find freedom and may discover you want to change the currency that drives you.