Does Your Passion Have a Slow Leak? Click | View Series

Those Who Fuel Or Drain Us

Allow me to take a stab at defining certain kinds of people, and how they can either further our vision and passion or stop it dead in its tracks. I am thankful for the writings of Gordon McDonald upon which some of these thoughts are based.

1. People who fuel our passion.
   These are our mentors and role models; they are people we can spend time with or whose writing, thinking, and speaking expands and deepens our passion and purpose in life. Someone has observed that what we are tomorrow will be a result of the people we meet and the books we read today. I believe that with all my heart.
2. People who catch our passion.
   These are the teachable and the moldable; they are the people who are hungry for God and hungry to make their lives count. They want to grow, to learn, and to see God at work in their lives. They will take what we give and pass it along to others, multiplying our investment many times over.
3. People who enjoy our passion.
   Most people we know fall into this category. On the one hand, they don’t take a great deal from us, but then neither do they add a great deal. It’s easy to spend a lot of time with these “nice people.” They are fun and easy to be with.
4. People who drain our passion.
   This is where the major energy leaks can occur. These are the needy people, the people that struggle, or the people who demand hours and hours of our energy, but don’t often seem to profit from it. Yet, they keep returning with the same problems and want more of us. They are often the squeaky wheels that get the most, if not all, of the oil of our passion.

The Need Is Not The Call

As a leader, I want to make sure that I am spending most of my time with those in category 1 and 2, and to be careful and prayerful about allowing too much time with those in 3 and 4. With God’s help, I want to be proactive, not reactive. Those in categories 3 and 4 can, and more than likely will, take most of my time if I am not careful.

Nice people are easy and enjoyable to be with, and draining people are so needy that it is easy to allow the lion’s share of time to go to them. This is not to say that “nice and needy” people are not important or should not be loved. However, as a wise person once said, “The need is not the call.”

A Strategy of Investment

To prevent “energy leaks,” I need to determine what good things I am not going to do. It is an issue of the strategy of investment, not the value of people. As leaders, we should be keenly aware of the fact that our energy is finite and can be depleted. We must guard that spiritual energy (passion) and prayerfully dispense it, not portion it out as first-come, first-serve.

Gordon McDonald confessed that at one point in his ministry he was spending most, if not all, of his time with the “nice and needy” people and had little time left over for those who fueled and caught his passion. He thought he was where he was most needed, but realized it was an “error of great magnitude.”

A prayer of mine for years has been based on Jeremiah 42:3: “[Pray] that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” As a leader, is your passion growing and being strategically invested, or have you developed some slow leaks?

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Does Your Passion Have a Slow Leak? Click | View Series

Jesus Had an Internal Blueprint

Through the years, thoughtful students have studied the life and ministry of Jesus Christ from many and varied points of view. He is teacher, healer, evangelist, prophet, and discipler, to name just a few of his perceived roles. He spent days in some places and moved on rather quickly from others, leaving needs unmet and questions unanswered. He seemed to know when to stay and when to leave. He had an internal blueprint, a road map that seemed to guide him where he went, how long he stayed, what he did, and with whom he spent his time.

Well-Balanced, Well-Paced, and Well-Prepared

Jesus had an ability to know when to say “yes” or “no” to a perceived need (Mark 1:35-39; Luke 5: 15-16). He knew when it was time for rest and time for work. He accomplished more in 3 and a half years than many do in a lifetime. He never seemed to be in a hurry or “be driven onto a reef of frustration by other people’s demands.” He was well-balanced, well-paced, and well-prepared as each new day dawned. We can learn much as we observe what Jesus did and didn’t do.

In her excellent and provocative book, Jesus, CEO, Laurie Beth Jones made the following observation about the varied-but-focused ministry of Jesus. “Jesus had tremendous energy, and he knew how to direct it. He was so clear about his mission that he avoided many real and potential energy leaks.”

Avoid Energy Leaks

Everything I have read and studied about leaders leads me to believe that they are very careful about these “energy leaks.” It is easy to spend time, but the wise invest time for maximum impact. The area where we win or lose this battle is how we spend time with people. Those we decide to invest in are either passion builders or passion stealers.

A leader is a person who is always on the lookout for other potential leaders to discover, develop, and deploy. But if we are not careful, all our energy can leak out to passion stealers, stranding us on a sandbar of mediocrity and ineffectiveness.

To be continued.

Resurgence Literature

Re:Lit is a ministry of Resurgence. There you will find a growing line of books to help guide the resurgence of the new reformed. Find out more.