Pastor Myles Munroe once said, “you can only lead someone as far as you’ve gone.”
This seems so simple, but until you put this into action it becomes extremely complex.
I love writing. I love speaking. I love inspiring others to go far. What I didn’t love was holding myself accountable and practicing what I preached. Why? Because it really is easier said than done. Also, because I knew the effort to change was hard and the effort to stay consistent is even harder.
Change means breaking old habits and giving up things we love and things that bring comfort. Now although these habits and things may seem comforting, they’re not necessarily good for the soul or for change. Change means self-discipline. It’s a way of sacrificing our old-selves in order to become who we want to be and getting to get where we want to go. It’s taking a big picture and editing the small details in order to see it as a whole. For example, it’s deciding to not eat the burger, maybe not to gossip or to stop thinking those naturally negative thoughts– whatever it is that entices bad comfort and allows you to disengage with changing. Change is holding yourself accountable for your actions and the commitments you’ve made with yourself.
What I’ve noticed is that an agreement is only as good as the integrity that binds it. So if you have no integrity to stay committed or consistent, then the agreement is only as good as a wish. If you cannot commit to yourself, to your change, and your goals, then you’re not ready to commit to others. If you cannot discipline yourself financially, physically, emotionally or spiritually, you have no right advising or leading others in those areas. If you have not pushed yourself to make it to the end of the race, you cannot tell someone else how to win it. If you have not tested your theories, your abilities or your knowledge thoroughly then you will always lack credibility–like a puzzle with missing pieces. And funny thing is, you may be able to fool some into following or believing you, you may even fool yourself, but you cannot fool them all. As time has it, what you say and what you do will always be tested to ensure accuracy. False prophecies, advice, knowledge, wisdom will always fall apart like a ball of sand thrown into the water. You can create a ball of sand to look sturdy and whole, but once it meets the foundation of truth it will always disperse and evaporate like it was never whole to begin with.
For me, I want to lead people into far places, but I stand at the beginning of the start line with nothing but curiosity & courage to see farther than the horizon. I don’t know where the path ends or what I’ll encounter when I get to my first checkpoint, but I do know that once I get there, I’ll be able to see farther and go farther. What I’m learning is that to go farther & faster I have to learn to ease the load of my baggage. If I plan to travel far & pick up speed as I go, I cannot pull or carry bags of useless items. I take what I need and focus on my needs. Anything that holds me back will ultimately decide how hard I want my journey to be & if I really want to get somewhere. If I hold on to my baggage & the useless items I've stuffed in there, I probably won't get far; I would most likely burn out fast & quit. Or I can decide to let this crap go & keep it moving. These are my deciding factors. The only absolute factor in this scenario is ME. Its my drive & my integrity to myself, my commitments & my goals that become my deciding factor on how far I go & where I end up. So if I really commit to leading people into far places, I must do what I have to do to get there first.
