W.A.I.T.

aaron leighton — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:59:57 +0000

Jesus had just finished “slipping away from the temple grounds,” making an interesting, evasive move as the Jews were gathering stones. One verse later in John 9:1, having just come from the temple arguing with the Jewish leaders, we find Jesus, with razor-sharp focus, right back at his mission. This is when he finds the man blind from birth. He spits in the dirt, putting the resulting “mud” on the man’s eyes and tells him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. When the man does as told, he is healed.

Allow me to back up in that story. I don’t know about you, but if I had just finished a massive argument with a bunch of hypocritical, religious tyrants ending with intent to kill me, the first thing on my mind would not be to strike up conversation with a total stranger about the healing power of God. Yet this is exactly
what Jesus did. He remained true to His mission, keeping perfect perspective, never missing an opportunity.

So why do we so easily get distracted and sidetracked, wandering away from the place we know God wants us? Asking myself this question, I realize I get wrapped up in everyday junk. Too often I find I’ve been simmering all day (or longer) in unprocessed irritation, unable to quickly put my finger on the source. Fact is I’ve let too much time pass without identifying and dealing with my anger. Often the result is taking my frustration out on someone that had nothing to do with it. I can tell you I’m guilty of coming home and snapping at my wife or being disengaged with my kids, when it was something from work—unidentified—I brought through the door to my home like a Trojan horse.

This got me thinking about what practical step I could take. Something simple. Maybe a checkpoint question I could ask myself to quickly identify issues and avoid sinking into yet another disconnected spell. So I came up with “WAIT” for “Why am I tense?” The idea is this: As soon as I am hit with something that is upsetting, take a brief moment, ask myself this question, and identify the source.

This year’s ATG theme is “Total Surrender,” and as I continue to give Christ full access to my heart, striving for 100% surrender, He is always faithful in uncovering new places for me to give to Him. This is just one area God’s working on in me—perhaps you are able to relate. I encourage you as you go about your day to keep vigilant to the ways the Enemy can distract you from your mission.

Survive or Thrive

aaron leighton — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 06:42:04 +0000

There seem to be two types of paths Christian men find themselves walking, and it hit me recently that each of these paths has a name: survive and thrive. If they were being honest, most guys would admit they’re walking down the first path. They’ve been saved. Go to church most Sundays. Maybe look forward to Heaven, but just as likely not. This is the default path. The safe path. But certainly not the path our dreams tell us we were made to walk. Factors such as shame, unforgiveness, apathy, busyness, or simply lack of vision keep them on this path to simply survive. It’s a coast to the finish with little fanfare, little impact, little risk. And it’s killing men’s hearts. The Enemy will do his best to keep us here because he fears the other path: thrive.

Thrive is the rarified path of the Christian man’s walk. Most don’t dare tread here, but it is the path that unleashes a man into his true design. Unlike the path of survival, to thrive is risky. We’re familiar with the concept of the comfort zone. To thrive is to live outside the comfort zone. And it’s worth it. When we thrive, we grow in confidence, integrity, and character as God the Father speaks affirmation into our hearts and brings us back to wholeness.

So as followers of Christ, how do we get from surviving to thriving? From personal experience, a vital component to thriving is a deep fellowship with other brothers. I walked the survive path for the first 20 years of my Christian walk. The transition into my own thrive path came only when I was willing to release my burdens into a trusted group of men.

As I read Pastor Michael Slater’s book, “The Stretcher,” I am reminded that even Christ needed friends. We see Him in the Garden of Gethsemane with a deep desire for their companionship during His darkest hours. Who are we to think we can walk alone when even Christ needed friends?

Mike Slater will be taking us into a challenging place at Awaken the Giant II as he teaches us about the concept of stretcher bearing. There are times when we need to tend to another’s stretcher. And there are times when we need to be carried. Who are the stretcher bearers in your life?

Awaken The Giant » aaron leighton

W.A.I.T.

Survive or Thrive